ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 697-8W, on air pollution, if he will indicate the increased morbidity and mortality levels assumed behind each of the six monetised social health costs in 2020 listed in the table.

Jim Fitzpatrick: h olding answer 27 October 2009
	The six scenarios discussed in the answer of 26 March 2009 were compared with a 'business as usual' scenario, during the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy to assess the additional air quality impacts of possible approaches to biomass heat uptake. It was found that the impact on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide was negligible on a national basis.
	The impacts on morbidity resulting from the uptake of biomass as a renewable energy source were not assessed during the analyses.
	The initial analysis of mortality for scenario 1 and 2 used an alternative approach to valuing the air quality impact which was not directly comparable in its intermediate assessment of mortality although the resulting monetise health costs are comparable.
	An intermediate stage in the analysis of scenarios 3 to 6 was the calculation of the mortality resulting from the increment in particulate matter (PM10) concentrations in ambient air. The results of this stage of the analysis are shown in the following table. The analysis is subject to considerable uncertainty in the underlying assumptions. Including the time delay between the exposure to the air pollution and the resulting health impact. The values presented for Scenarios 3 to 6 represent the central case within this uncertainty. Other uncertainties include the biomass emissions, the spatial distribution of biomass uptake and the valuation methodology. The results presented are for the whole of the UK and are given in their raw output form.
	
		
			  Scenario  Life years lost over a 100 year period  Life years lost in 2020  Annualised health costs (£ million) 
			 1 728,086 to 1,389,577 - 731 
			 2 2,766,736 to 5,280,418 - 2,803 
			 3 - 452,554 189 
			 4 - 1,748,651 732 
			 5 - 339,861 142 
			 6 - 1,331,693 557

Departmental Drinking Water

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on bottled water in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: holding answer 12 October 2009
	The core-department and its catering services provider has not supplied bottled water for meetings since 19 February 2007. In the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 the core-Department purchased 9848, 12948, and 1969 litres respectively of bottled water at an average price of £1.72 per litre, a total cost of £42,595.80.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the core-department's expenditure on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years and the current financial year to date is:
	
		
			  £ 
			 July 2006 - March 2007 817,167 
			 April 2007 - March 2008 853,334 
			 April 2008 - March 2009 668,733 
			 April 2009 - August 2009 249,680 
		
	
	Travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with Section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code and the principles set out in Managing Public Money. Staff are expected to use the most efficient and economic means of travel.

Food: Packaging

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the formulation of the Courtauld Commitment Mark II; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: During the past year the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) has worked closely with Government and signatories on the development of a successor to the original Courtauld Commitment, which finishes in spring 2010. The 'next phase' of the Courtauld Commitment, or 'Courtauld 2' (it has yet to be officially named), which includes more sophisticated and ambitious targets on packaging and food waste, is due to be launched in the new year. WRAP is currently discussing the shape of the targets with the four UK Administrations and signatories and is not yet in a position to release further information.

Lorries

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on the environment of the operation of lorries weighing over 44 tonnes; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	In order to be better informed about the likely consequences of allowing longer and/or heavier goods vehicles on the English road network, the Department for Transport commissioned a study which reported in 2008. The report of this study: "Longer and/or Longer and Heavier Goods Vehicles (LHVs) - A study of the likely effects if permitted in the UK" (reference: TRL Report PPR 285), concluded that allowing longer and/or heavier vehicles onto the network could lead to an increase in CO2 emissions. The report also concluded that there would be a limited impact on the structural performance of pavements and bridges but did not cover the specific issue of the likely effect on the annual cost of maintaining the road network.

National Bee Unit: Qualifications

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff of the National Bee Unit have qualifications in bee biology at postgraduate level or above.

Dan Norris: The National Bee Unit (NBU) is part of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) where approximately 150 staff comprising bee inspectors, scientists, policy specialists and other staff have an input into the bee health programme. Many of these staff have post graduate degrees in subjects related to, but not specifically in, bee biology. For bee inspectors, practical knowledge of beekeeping is an essential requirement of FERA's job specification and some Inspectors have over 30 years experience in this field.

Recycling: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the environmental effects of the separated refuse recycling scheme in use in Leeds; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: No such assessment has been made by DEFRA. The Government believes that local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the waste management strategy for their communities and therefore DEFRA does not interfere in these matters.

Rural Areas: Advertising

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on the use of mobile advertising billboards in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	Guidance on advertisements alongside motorways and trunk roads, including guidance on advertisements on vehicles parked in fields, verges or in lay-bys is provided in paragraphs 147-148 of CLG Circular 03/2007, "Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007".
	Outdoor advertisements are controlled by these regulations. Generally, mobile advertising billboards will require the express consent of the local planning authority before they can be displayed. It will be for the relevant local planning authority to determine whether a particular advertisement should be permitted and the most appropriate course of action to take when an advertisement is displayed in contravention of the regulations.

Waste Management

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the national adoption of a zero waste standard.

Dan Norris: Building on the success of the original zero waste places initiative, which developed innovative best practice in sustainable waste management, the Government have developed a new Zero Waste Standard. This seeks to provide recognition of, and stimulation to, the work of local authorities in their efforts to minimise waste and maximise the use of resources in their communities.
	We hope that local authorities across England will seek to meet the new standard and realise the benefits of adopting the zero waste concept

Wind Power: Floods

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidelines his Department has issued on the construction of wind turbines on flood plains.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's spatial planning policies relevant to new wind turbines are set out in Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22), 'Renewable Energy', while policies on development in flood risk areas are contained in Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25), 'Development and Flood Risk'.
	On 11 August 2009, Communities and Local Government issued for consultation proposals to amend PPS25 to clarify certain aspects of the policy. This includes clarification of how the policy should be applied to proposals for new wind turbines in flood risk areas, including flood plains, taking account of the policy in PPS22. The proposed amendment would clarify that wind turbines can be constructed in flood risk areas, subject to demonstrating that the turbines would be safe, without increasing flood risk elsewhere and, if proposed for a functional flood plain, would be designed to remain operational during a flood, result in no net loss of flood plain storage and not impede water flows.
	The consultation period for the proposed amendments to PPS25 closes on 3 November.

Wind Power: Somerset

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the need for new pylons to service the wind turbines across the Somerset Levels proposed by EDF Energy.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand that the hon. Member's question relates to the proposed wind farm at Withy Farm, Puriton near Bridgwater. I have been asked to respond as renewable energy falls within my Department's responsibilities.
	As you may be aware, I am unable to comment on any aspect of a wind farm proposal that is currently in the planning system as that is a matter for the relevant local planning authority. This would include any assessment of the need for new pylons.
	A report by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group(1) 'Our Electricity Transmission Network: A Vision for 2020' published in March 2009, set out the potential transmission investments needed to connect large volumes of onshore and offshore wind generation across the UK required to meet the 2020 renewables target, while, at the same time, facilitating the connection of other essential new low carbon generation.
	A copy of the report is available at
	http://www.ensg.gov.uk/index.php?article=126
	(1) The Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG) is a senior industry group chaired by DECC and Ofgem

Wind Power: Somerset

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect the proposed construction of nine wind turbines on the Somerset Levels as proposed by EDF Energy would have on the environment; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to his parliamentary question, number 295259, regarding wind farm proposals that are currently in the planning system.
	The Government have made clear that wind farms should be located in appropriate places and that local concerns should be listened to. We recognise the need to ensure that all renewable energy developments take place within the formal planning procedure, which allows all relevant stakeholders, including members of the public, to put forward their views on the likely impact of any proposal on the environment and the local community.
	Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 22 on renewable energy highlights the need to take account of environmental impacts in terms of landscape and visual effects, which will vary on a case by case basis according to the type of development, its location and landscape setting.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Portcullis House: Smoking

Mark Hoban: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the smoking shelter constructed between Norman Shaw North and Portcullis House is expected to cost.  [Official Report, 12 November 2009, Vol. 499, c. 9MC.]

Nick Harvey: The smoking shelter is forecast to cost £49,000.

Recruitment: Pay

John Hayes: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what process the House of Commons Service follows to establish salaries for new posts; and which new posts have been established at each pay band since 1997.

Nick Harvey: New posts are evaluated using the House of Commons pay band guidance which sets out the criteria for allocating posts in the pay band structure and gives examples of the typical tasks and demands of the work expected at each pay band level. New posts within the Senior Commons Structure are reviewed using the Job Evaluation for Senior Posts (JESP) methodology. Each pay band has a defined salary range.
	The House of Commons Service manages its workforce numbers by budget and not by complement. Staffing levels are controlled through the annual business planning process and monitored on the basis of actual headcount and full-time equivalency, not in terms of a number of established posts. Records reflecting the number of new posts created over the period requested are therefore not maintained and cannot be produced retrospectively for the period requested. Staff figures are published each year in the Commission's annual report, which is available in the Library and at
	www.parliament.uk.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in attendance allowance to residents of Mid Bedfordshire constituency in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Attendance allowance expenditure for mid Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency 
			  Period  Amount (£ million) (nominal terms) 
			 2001-02 3.20 
			 2005-06 4.70 
			 2008-09 5.80 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000. 2. Tables containing benefit expenditure by benefit, departmental strategic objective, local authority and parliamentary constituency can be found at the following URL: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/medium_term.asp and a copy has been placed in the Library.  Source: DWP Statistical and Accounting Data

Carer's Allowance: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Mid Bedfordshire constituency  (a) are entitled to and  (b) receive carer's allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's allowance-mid Bedfordshire constituency: February 2009 
			   Number 
			 Entitlement only 500 
			 Receiving benefit 470 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive carer's allowance, including those who receive no actual payment. 2. Carers entitled to receive carer's allowance may not be paid it because they receive an overlapping benefit equal to or greater than their weekly rate of carer's allowance. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Figures are published on the DWP website at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Carers' Benefits

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government plan to initiate the review of carers' benefits outlined in her Department's carers' strategy.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government acknowledged in the revised National Carer's Strategy, published in June 2008, that the current system of carers' benefits is not flexible enough to adapt to the wide variety of circumstances, responsibilities and needs that carers face.
	This is a 10 year strategy with a long-term commitment to review the structure of benefits available to carers in the context of wider reform.
	Reviewing carers' benefits is a complex subject that requires careful consideration which cannot be conducted in isolation if we are to ensure that any changes are properly thought through, sound and lasting. We are continuing to develop our thinking on longer term benefit reform within the context of our plans for simplifying the benefit system as a whole taking account of the review of the care and support system which is currently underway.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of benefits as a result of a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; and what information her Department holds on the medical conditions of such benefit claimants.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 October 2009
	Benefits are not paid to customers as a result of a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis. Entitlement is based on the disablement that results from it and the effects of that disablement.
	The Department holds case specific information on the medical conditions of people who have made claims on the basis of a disability or illness. The information can be gathered from a number of different sources including the claimant, health care professionals involved in their care and departmental medical advisers.
	Decision makers consider all the available evidence before deciding on entitlement to benefit.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the main disabling conditions are of claimants of employment and support allowance who have been placed in  (a) the support group and  (b) the work-related activity group; and how many and what proportion of claimants fall into each group of the main disabling conditions.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 October 2009
	The information requested is not available.

Employment Services: Disabled

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment she plans to carry out in respect of the effects on disabled people of the implementation of recent changes to arrangements for specialist disability employment services.

Jonathan R Shaw: An Equality Impact Assessment was published online in December 2008 on initiatives covered in the White Paper 'Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future'. This included a focus on disability in the new specialist disability programme replacing WORKSTEP, Work Preparation and Job Introduction Scheme from October 2010-to be known as Work Choice.
	We are currently undertaking the procurement process for the delivery of Work Choice and when contracts are awarded in April 2010, an updated Equality Impact Assessment will be produced.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change there has been in the Government's latest published tax/benefit tables in the number of people with withdrawal rates of between 60 per cent. and 70 per cent.; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	An update on the number of people facing withdrawal rates between 60 and 70 per cent. will be provided in the pre-Budget report.

Winter Fuel Payments: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham, Northfield constituency received a winter fuel payment in the latest year for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: For winter 2008-09, the number of people who received a winter fuel payment in the constituency of Birmingham, Northfield was 14,240.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data.

Winter Fuel Payments: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people over the age of  (a) 60 and  (b) 80 years have claimed a winter fuel payment in North East Fife constituency in each year since 2001-02; and what estimate she has made of the number of people in North East Fife constituency who will receive winter fuel payments in 2009-10.

Angela Eagle: The number of winter fuel payments paid to individuals aged  (a) 60 and over and  (b) 80 and over in the North East Fife constituency in each year since 2001-02 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of individuals aged 60 and over  Number of individuals aged 80 and over 
			 2001-02 16,310 n/a 
			 2002-03 16,660 3,525 
			 2003-04 16,875 3,565 
			 2004-05 16,870 3,525 
			 2005-06 18,280 3,850 
			 2006-07 18,700 3,990 
			 2007-08 19,390 4,070 
			 2008-09 19,830 4,100 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five, for years 2001-02 to 2004-05 inclusive, and to the nearest 10 for years 2005-06 onwards. 2. Data are not available for the number of individuals aged 80 and over that received a winter fuel payment in 2001-02 for the North East Fife constituency. 3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	Forecast benefit caseloads are not produced at constituency level, however we expect similar numbers as in 2008-09 to receive the winter fuel payment in 2009-10 in the North East Fife constituency.

TREASURY

Child Trust Fund: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in Birmingham, Northfield constituency have received child trust fund payments since the scheme was introduced.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The most recent published constituency level statistics on child trust fund accounts can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/cons-stats-oct08.pdf
	and show that 4,527 children born before 5 April 2007 in the Birmingham, Northfield constituency have a child trust fund account.

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Royal Mail provides external mail services to HM Treasury. This is not a tendered service and therefore there is no formal expiry date.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings following the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury offers a range of internal training courses for officials to meet organisational priorities and which form part of the Professional Skills for Government (PSG) framework.
	Any bespoke training that Ministers require is made available as necessary.
	Due to delegated team budgets for training spend it is not possible to report on specific training relating to the Operational Efficiency Programme; this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Public Appointments

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procedures used by Government departments to make appointments to their boards; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The effectiveness of procedures used by Government Departments to make appointments to their boards is currently under review in the context of the Treasury's review of the code of good practice on corporate governance in central Government Departments, which is due to report in 2010.

Housing: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 194W, on housing: construction, which local authorities in London provide details of  (a) building control commencement lists and  (b) building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency; and which such authorities use the Valuebill/e-BAR interface to provide such information.

Ian Pearson: A table showing which local authorities within the London region of England have provided building control commencement lists and building control completion notices to the Valuation Office Agency is shown as follows.
	The Valuebill/e-BAR interface is not used for the submission of building control commencement lists or building control completion notices.
	
		
			  Billing Authority  Commencement Notices  Completion Notices 
			 Bexley No Yes 
			 Bromley Yes Yes 
			 Croydon Yes Yes 
			 Greenwich No Yes 
			 Lewisham No Yes 
			 Sutton No Yes 
			 Lambeth No Yes 
			 Southwark Yes No 
			 Kingston Yes Yes 
			 Merton Yes No 
			 Richmond Yes Yes 
			 Wandsworth Yes Yes 
			 Brent Yes Yes 
			 Ealing No No 
			 Hounslow Yes Yes 
			 Havering No No 
			 Barking and Dagenham Yes No 
			 Redbridge No No 
			 Newham Yes No 
			 Waltham Forest Yes No 
			 Haringey No No 
			 Enfield No No 
			 Barnet No No 
			 Harrow No No 
			 Hillingdon No No 
			 City of London No No 
			 City of Westminster Yes No 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Yes No 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham No No 
			 Tower Hamlets No No 
			 Hackney No No 
			 Islington No No 
			 Camden Yes Yes

Insurance: Travel

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the insurance industry on reducing the cost of travel insurance for  (a) older people and  (b) older people with health problems.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Local Government: Assets

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's proposed sale of assets on local government; and what assumptions about the sale of assets held by local authorities will be made to inform the next local government finance settlement.

Liam Byrne: The £11 billion of UK local authority asset sales assumed over the period 2011-12 to 2013-14 are based on historic performance by the sector and forecast recovery in prices and transactions following the downturn local authorities remain free to determine which assets they sell and when local government revenue finance settlements beyond 2010-11 will be determined in the normal way at the next spending review.

Local Government: Bank Services

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable has been established for the repayment to local authorities of monies deposited with Icelandic banks.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Some local authorities are creditors of the failed Icelandic banks. Those creditors of UK subsidiaries of the failed Icelandic banks will be paid out in accordance with UK insolvency law. We understand that the administrations of Heritable Bank plc and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander are progressing. However, the timetable for the administration process is a matter for the administrators. Creditors of the banks in Iceland will make recoveries from the winding up of those banks in accordance with Icelandic law. The timetable for creditor payouts is governed by the process that has been adopted in Iceland for those institutions.

Met Office

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 482W, on the Operational Efficiency Programme: Meteorological Office, which further public bodies the Operational Efficiency Programme is consulting as part of the next phase of its review of the Meteorological Office; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Operational Efficiency Programme continues to analyse opportunities to work more collaboratively across Government, in preparation for wider consultation. An update on the progress of the review will be provided around the pre-Budget report.

Presbyterian Mutual Society

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) representations and  (b) evidence the Prime Minister's working group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society has received in its investigation.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ministerial Working Group on the Presbyterian Mutual Society has received representations from a range of stakeholders. It is not the Government's practice to disclose details of all such representations.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed by HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The number of staff in HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor departments (HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue) for each year since 1997 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Headcount 
			  As at 1 April  HMCE  Inland Revenue  Total 
			 1997 24,509 53,315 77,824 
			 1998 25,115 53,163 78,278 
			 1999 24,019 61,339 85,358 
			 2000 23,036 67,347 90,383 
			 2001 23,387 68,292 91,679 
			 2002 23,073 70,103 93,176 
			 2003 23,364 78,456 101,820 
			 2004 23,859 82,151 106,010 
			 2005 - - 104,674 
			 2006 - - 100,738 
			 2007 - - 96,511 
			 2008 - - 90,961 
			 2009 - - 88,875

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many attempts made by HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors to collect tax payments outstanding under the self-assessment system resulted in complaints from members of the public in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' central complaints database cannot provide the disaggregated data on complaints raised for this reason.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many attempts have been made by HM Revenue and Customs to collect tax payments outstanding under the self-assessment system in each year since 1997; how many such attempts resulted in the collection of  (a) the full and  (b) part of the payment outstanding; and how many such attempts did not recover any outstanding payment.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available. HMRC uses a range of interventions to collect unpaid tax. Successful collectors of debt cannot normally be attributed to one specific action.

VAT

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long on average it took to complete a registration for value added tax in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: In 2008-09 the average time taken to complete a registration for VAT was 19.7 days. The figures for recent months are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Average number of days taken 
			 April 2009 17.7 
			 May 2009 29.0 
			 June 2009 23.0 
			 July 2009 27.7 
			 August 2009 23.1 
			 September 2009 27.1 
		
	
	The difference in average processing times is due to an increase in the number of potential suspect cases which required further risk checks Processing of these higher risk cases often takes longer as the necessary checks are made. HM Revenue and Customs remains committed to improving processing times, and is working with professional bodies, agents and other stakeholders to tackle the level of incomplete and/or inaccurate applications.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many contracts related to the London 2012 Olympics have been awarded to businesses and organisations in Wales; and what the total value is of those contracts.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 16 September 2009
	Welsh business is playing a vital role in helping to deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) do not have a central record of supply chain contracts and their value, but they estimate the overall spend in Wales to be in the tens of millions of pounds. Examples include:
	Euroclad, based in Cardiff, supplying the rainscreen cladding for the Olympic Stadium
	Rowecord, from Newport, manufacturing the steel for the roof of the Aquatics Centre
	Rhino Doors, from Port Talbot, providing security doors for the Olympic Park construction site
	In addition the ODA has contracted directly with Welsh companies in a series of small corporate and administrative contracts worth £5,615.

TRANSPORT

A14: Road Traffic

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the most recent traffic flow data are for each section of the A14.

Chris Mole: A table providing the 2008 estimated annual average daily flows (AADFs) for each section of the A14, has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
	These figures give estimates of the number of vehicles travelling along individual sections of road on an average day of the year.
	AADF data for individual motorway and TV road links for 1999 to 2008 are available on the Department for Transport website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/matrix

A14: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there have been on the A14 in Suffolk in each year since 1999; and how many of those involved drivers under the age of 21 years in each case.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities on the A14 in Suffolk: 1999 to 2008 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1999 122 8 
			 2000 138 8 
			 2001 138 10 
			 2002 157 5 
			 2003 128 3 
			 2004 143 5 
			 2005 150 4 
			 2006 119 6 
			 2007 126 6 
			 2008 126 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of reported personal injury road accidents involving drivers under the age of 21 and resulting fatalities on the A14 in Suffolk: 1999 to 2008 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1999 21 1 
			 2000 22 0 
			 2001 26 1 
			 2002 27 1 
			 2003 29 0 
			 2004 28 0 
			 2005 28 0 
			 2006 28 0 
			 2007 19 3 
			 2008 30 0

Biofuels

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to paragraph 4.150 of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy 2009, what assessment he has made of  (a) increases in commodity prices and  (b) effects on food security consequent upon using food crops for fuel.

Sadiq Khan: The Government are assessing the combination of factors associated with the global food commodity price spike in 2008, and intends to publish the results early in 2010 as part of a food strategy package.
	The relationship between biofuels and international food security is also being assessed through research focused on how to increase food production and access in an environmentally sustainable way, which will inform next year's food strategy package; and longer term through the Government's Foresight project on global food and farming futures, which is due to produce its final report in October 2010.
	The EU Renewable Energy Directive requires the European Commission to monitor impacts of this policy on commodity prices and food security and the Commission shall, if appropriate, propose corrective action. The UK Government will continue to contribute to the EU policy debate. In addition, the UK is working in the Global Bioenergy Partnership to help develop voluntary sustainability criteria and indicators for bioenergy and biofuels, including for potential impacts on food security.

Bournemouth Airport: Roads

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Highways Agency has plans for the construction of a new road linking Bournemouth Airport and the A338.

Sadiq Khan: The A338 is not a Highways Agency trunk road. The Highways Agency have no plans to construct a new road linking to it.
	Furthermore, the South West region has not identified such a link as a regional priority within its regional funding allocation advice to Government.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies spend on vehicle hire is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Department for Transport (Central) 188,144 208,126 353,758 220,352 219,380 
			 Executive Agencies 2,002,484 1,966,637 2,385,202 2,467,707 2,756,202 
			 Total 2,190,628 2,174,763 2,738,960 2,688,059 2,975,582

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many vehicles identified by  (a) mobile and  (b) static speed cameras as driving in excess of the speed limit were not pursued for prosecution purposes because the licence plates indicated that they were not UK-registered in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 26 October 2009
	I have been asked to reply.
	Information available on the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on offences involving vehicles does not identify those cases that are not pursued for prosecution.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his policy is in respect of the  (a) identification by (i) mobile and (ii) static speed cameras and  (b) prosecution of motorists driving vehicles in excess of the speed limit where the vehicles in question are non-UK registered.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 26 October 2009
	I have been asked to reply.
	Foreign drivers are subject to the provisions of the Road Traffic Acts at all times when driving on British roads. They are therefore liable to prosecution for contravention of the legislation. It is for individual chief officers of police to decide what action should be taken against foreign drivers detected speeding by mobile or static speed cameras.
	We have taken a number of measures to improve enforcement action against the drivers of non UK registered vehicles. These include a provision in the Road Safety Act 2006 which will allow the exchange of driver licensing and vehicle registration information with other countries.
	Further help will be provided by the European Framework Decision on the Mutual Recognition of Financial Penalties, which will allow penalties imposed by courts in one member state to be enforced in another and by the International Convention on the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications. The growing use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, is also helping enforcement against foreign offenders detected speeding and jumping red lights, since a person who succeeds in leaving the country without being dealt with for such an offence can have their vehicle's number-plate recorded on a database and so be detected and dealt with on return here.

Driving Offences: Working Hours

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many drivers' hours offences were detected in respect of  (a) UK-registered and  (b) overseas registered drivers in each year since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) do not record the nationality of drivers, the following table sets out the number of drivers' hours offences from the drivers of foreign registered vehicles by type since 2003-04 when VOSA was formed.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  HGV UK   
			 Offence Prohibitions   
			 at Roadside 4,636 5,416 6,182 4,901 7,339 9,158 
			 Offences (at Roadside)   
			 Drivers' Hours 381 518 586 618 1,040 1,267 
			 Tacho and Records 5,073 5,772 6,726 5,274 7,644 9,794 
			 Total 5,454 6,290 7,312 5,892 8,684 11,061 
			
			 Prosecutions-presented   
			 Drivers' Hours 4,021 2,952 3,121 2,783 2,056 4,180 
			 Tacho and Records 4,820 4,220 3,850 3,336 2,218 2,621 
			 Total 8,841 7,172 6,971 6,119 4,274 6,801 
			
			 Prosecutions-convicted   
			 Drivers' Hours 3,629 2,679 2,821 2,515 1,806 3,913 
			 Tacho and Records 3,861 3,063 3,108 2,693 1,714 2,046 
			 Total 7,490 5,742 5,929 5,208 3,520 5,959 
			
			  HGV Non-UK   
			 Offence Prohibitions   
			 at Roadside 2,282 3,255 4,403 6,376 7,329 9,913 
			 Offences (at Roadside)   
			 Drivers' Hours 1,430 2,342 3,095 4,801 4,915 5,937 
			 Tacho and Records 1,037 1,335 1,800 2,253 2,894 4,719 
			 Total 2,467 3,677 4,895 7,054 7,809 10,656 
			
			  PSV UK   
			 Offence Prohibitions   
			 at Roadside 364 439 483 464 1,349 1,405 
			 Offences (at Roadside)   
			 Drivers' Hours 18 27 23 24 125 133 
			 Tacho and Records 340 470 541 525 1,419 1,532 
			 Total 358 497 564 549 1,544 1,665 
			
			 Prosecutions-presented   
			 Drivers' Hours 201 425 235 315 78 253 
			 Tacho and Records 279 561 311 439 274 453 
			 Total 480 986 546 754 352 706 
			
			 Prosecutions-convicted   
			 Drivers' Hours 133 204 191 211 57 219 
			 Tacho and Records 212 286 263 276 138 326 
			 Total 345 490 454 487 195 545 
			
			  PSV Non UK   
			 Offence Prohibitions   
			 at Roadside 22 39 30 67 113 91 
			 Offences (at Roadside)   
			 Drivers' Hours 8 21 15 34 37 35 
			 Tacho and Records 15 17 22 34 62 47 
			 Total 23 38 37 68 99 82 
		
	
	Further information is available on VOSA's Effectiveness report which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Driving: Licensing

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of Commission Directive 2009/113/EC on the eligibility criteria for a UK driving licence; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: This Directive provides minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving. We are considering what differences there are between the Directive and the standards currently applied in the UK and what legislative changes will be required to accommodate at least the revised minimum standards. In conjunction with the medical experts on the Secretary of State for Transport's Honorary Advisory Panels, we are considering what to do in those cases where the revised standards are lower than those currently applied in the UK. In these cases we must determine whether the stricter standards should remain in force, in the interests of road safety. Once the experts provide their advice we intend to issue a public consultation.

Lorries: Accidents

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many personal injury collisions involved  (a) left and  (b) right hand drive heavy goods vehicles in each year since 1997; and in how many in each category vehicle blind spot was found to be a contributory factor.

Paul Clark: Information concerning the steering position of vehicles in reported personal injury road accidents is only available for foreign registered vehicles. Data in reported road accidents are only available since 2005. The available information requested is given in the table:
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents involving HGVs, by steering position, and whether vehicle blind spot was attributed as a contributory factor( 1) , Great Britain, 2005-08 
			   Foreign registered HGVs  UK( 2 ) registered HGVs  Total HGVs 
			   Left hand drive  Right hand drive 
			   Total accidents  Vehicle blind spot  Total accidents  Vehicle blind spot  Total accidents  Vehicle blind spot  Total accidents  Vehicle blind spot 
			 2005 1,014 291 85 6 10,063 341 11,162 638 
			 2006 952 259 91 5 9,423 360 10,466 624 
			 2007 858 193 63 3 8,908 359 9,829 555 
			 2008 760 182 78 10 7,577 331 8,415 523 
			 (1) Includes only accidents where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported. (2) Left or right hand side drive is not recorded for UK registered vehicles.

Lorries: Agriculture

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his policy is on the requirement of registration as heavy goods vehicles of agricultural motor vehicles other than agricultural and forestry tractors regardless of weight for use on public roads.

Paul Clark: Vehicle registration and licensing is determined by a vehicle's construction and how it is used on the public road. In addition to agricultural and forestry tractors, light agricultural vehicles and agricultural engines also fall outside the heavy goods vehicle class.

Lorries: Costs

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the annual cost of maintaining the road network arising from its use by lorries weighing more than 44 tonnes; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: holding answer 14 October 2009
	In order to be better informed about the likely consequences of allowing longer and/or heavier goods vehicles on the English road network, the Department for Transport commissioned a study which reported in 2008. The report of this study: "Longer and/or Longer and Heavier Goods Vehicles (LHVs) - A study of the likely effects if permitted in the UK" (reference: TRL Report PPR 285), concluded that allowing longer and/or heavier vehicles onto the network could lead to an increase in CO2 emissions. The report also concluded that there would be a limited impact on the structural performance of pavements and bridges but did not cover the specific issue of the likely effect on the annual cost of maintaining the road network.

Lorries: Safety

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's trial of Fresnel window lenses for improving heavy goods vehicles sightlines.

Paul Clark: A copy of the report on Fresnel window lenses for improving heavy goods vehicles sightlines has been placed in the Libraries of the House. A copy is also available on the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency's website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/publications/consultationsandresearch/researchanddevelopment/researchanddevelopment.htm

Railways: East Midlands

Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to improve the East Midlands peak time train service between Manchester and  (a) Merseyside and  (b) South Yorkshire.

Chris Mole: holding answer 26 October 2009
	 On 23 July the Government announced a major £1.1 billion programme of rail electrification, including the electrification by 2013 of the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows.
	Electrification of the Liverpool-Manchester route via Newton-le-Willows will enable the operation of high-capacity four-carriage electric trains transferred from the cross-London Thameslink route. These trains will be completely modernised before they are transferred, including the installation of air-conditioning.
	This additional capacity on the Liverpool-Manchester line running via Newton-le-Willows will relieve pressure on the other Liverpool-Manchester line running via Warrington.
	The diesel trains currently operating on the Liverpool-Manchester line via Newton-le-Willows will be transferred onto other routes, delivering much needed additional capacity.
	In the meantime, the Department for Transport is in discussion with train operating companies about delivering additional capacity. This includes discussions with Northern Rail about a first phase of additional rolling stock. The Government will publish an updated rolling stock plan taking account of electrification and setting out a revised strategy this autumn.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghan Aid

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to the organisation Afghan Aid in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not allocated any funds directly to Afghan Aid in the last five years.
	Between 2003 and 2009, DFID provided £430,000 to the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG), of which Afghan Aid is a member.

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many members of his Department are based at Kandahar air base; and what their function is.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) no longer publicises staff numbers for country offices, following an assessment of DFID's work in insecure environments by the National Audit Office in October 2008, and a range of improvements to our security policies and procedures.

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials of his Department are based in each district of Helmand province.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) no longer publicises staff numbers for country offices, following an assessment of DFID's work in insecure environments by the National Audit Office in October 2008, and a range of improvements to our security policies and procedures.

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has budgeted for aid to Afghanistan in 2009-10; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's provision of aid to Afghanistan in the last 12 months against its objectives.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has budgeted £127.5 million for Afghanistan in 2009-10. This forms part of a £510 million commitment for 2009-13.
	DFID's latest Afghanistan Country Programme Evaluation was published in May 2009 and is available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Where-we-work/Asia-South/Afghanistan/

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on the delivery of the Government's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is in regular consultation with development agencies, donors and others on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. These include the Government of Afghanistan, the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN World Food Programme (UN-WFP) and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA).
	DFID monitors closely the effectiveness of the delivery of humanitarian aid through assessments made by agencies who deliver aid on the ground such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN-WFP.

Afghanistan: Schools

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many schools in Helmand province are  (a) open and  (b) in operation.

Douglas Alexander: 93 Government-funded schools are both open and operational in Helmand province, compared to 34 in 2006. School enrolment in Helmand has risen from 50,000 in 2006 to 64,500 today.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP). DFID is currently exploring savings across the full range of back office functions identified in OEP. We are engaging actively in the OEP benchmarking exercise and I have been appointed Value for Money Minister.
	There are a wide range of learning and development opportunities available in DFID, many of which are focused on driving VFM.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.

Gareth Thomas: A humanitarian assessment carried out by the Government of Ethiopia and international partners released last week indicated that 6.2 million people in Ethiopia will need emergency assistance until the end of the year.
	The prospects for 2010 are also a cause for serious concern. An assessment of the November harvest will provide a clearer picture of likely future humanitarian needs. If this harvest does fail, a significant scaling-up of efforts by the Government of Ethiopia and the international community will be needed to prevent the current crisis becoming a catastrophe in 2010. DFID has contributed £54 million to the humanitarian response in Ethiopia in 2009 and will continue to closely monitor the situation with regard to future support.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement on Ethiopia made on 19 October 2009,  Official Report; column 47WS.

India: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of his Department's support for the national tuberculosis programme in India.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) support to India's National Tuberculosis Control Programme has been highly effective. The programme has averted an estimated 180,000 deaths a year since 2005. That is around 500 lives saved in India every day. DFID's support has helped put 1.5 million TB patients on treatment every year in India.
	Our support has ensured that India has faced no drug shortage, despite having the most rapidly expanding TB programme in the world. By March 2006 the programme had been scaled up to cover the entire country. Since 1997 the success rate for TB treatment has tripled from 25 per cent. to 86 per cent. and TB deaths rates have been cut seven-fold from 29 per cent. to 4 per cent.

International Assistance: Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of his Department's contribution towards global and regional progress on Millennium Development Goal 6 in relation to tuberculosis.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) contributes to the Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis (TB) 2006-15, which aims to save 14 million lives, with substantial support through country programmes, multilateral organisations, global partnerships and research. Examples include the following:
	Commitment of £1 billion to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) for 2008-15. The GFATM estimates that it has supported the additional detection in and treatment of 5.4 million people with TB.
	A 20-year commitment of up to €60 million per year by 2010 to UNITAID, which by 2011 is aiming to triple access to rapid tests for multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB and reduce the price MDR-TB medicines-by 25 per cent.
	DFID support to focus states in India on TB funds the purchase and reliable supply of high quality anti-TB drugs. This has contributed to a reduction in TB mortality from 0.35 million to 0.28 million-a saving of 36,000 lives each year during 2005-07.
	This year DFID has undertaken an extensive review of its health portfolio, including our work on TB, publication of which is forthcoming.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid the UK has provided to Pakistan in each year since 1998.

Michael Foster: Details of UK aid expenditure is published in 'Statistics on International Development' which is available online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	and in the Library of House. The relevant figures for Pakistan are reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			  UK gross public expenditure on development to Pakistan 
			  £000 
			   Bilateral  Imputed multilateral share 
			 1998-99 26,937 21,175 
			 1999-2000 23,472 2,105 
			 2000-01 15,890 3,072 
			 2001-02 44,838 25,623 
			 2002-03 46,852 39,756 
			 2003-04 66,299 14,787 
			 2004-05 55,278 15,091 
			 2005-06 97,688 58,671 
			 2006-07 118,150 22,675 
			 2007-08 88,145 58,547 
			 2008-09 129,713 n/a

CABINET OFFICE

Social Enterprise

Dari Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the contribution of social enterprise to the economy.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz).

Population

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the population of the UK is; how many UK citizens there were in  (a) 1992,  (b) 1997,  (c) 2002 and  (d) 2007; and how many citizens there were of (i) another EU member state, (ii) Australia, Canada or New Zealand, (iii) the USA and (iv) other countries who did not also hold UK citizenship were resident in the UK in each such year.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning what the population of the UK is; how many UK citizens there were in (a) 1992, (b) 1997, (c) 2002 and (d) 2007; and how many citizens of (i) another EU member state, (ii) Australia, Canada or New Zealand, (iii) the USA and (iv) other countries, who did not also hold UK citizenship, were resident in the UK in each such year. (295951)
	Table 1, attached, gives mid-year population estimates in 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007. Tables 2, 3 and 4, attached, give the UK population broken down by nationality groupings in 1997, 2002 and 2007 respectively. No data are available for 1992.
	These figures are based on survey data and as with any sample survey are subject to margins of error which are shown on the tables. A person's nationality is self-defined and may not coincide with administrative definitions of citizenship. It is not possible to identify which residents hold dual nationality, as the Labour Force Survey on which the figures are based records only the first nationality given by the respondent.
	Please note that the number of people of all nationalities in these tables will not sum to the mid-year population estimates in Table 1, as the survey excludes people in most types of communal establishment.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mid-year population estimates: United Kingdom; estimated resident population 
			   Thousand 
			 Mid-1992 57,584.5 
			 Mid-1997 58,314.2 
			 Mid-2002 59,323.5 
			 Mid-2007 60,975.4 
			  Note: Figures for the United Kingdom do not include the population of the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.  Sources: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, by foreign nationality-1997 
			  Thousand 
			  Nationality  Estimate  CI +/- 
			 All nationalities 57,537 471 
			 British 55,420 462 
			 European Union (EU15)(1) 834 57 
			 Australia, Canada or New Zealand(2) 127 22 
			 United States of America(2) 102 20 
			 Rest of the world 1,054 64 
			 (1) Estimates are shown for the European Union 15, that is: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Those with British nationality are not included in this grouping, but are shown separately in this table. (2) Statistical Robustness-Estimates are reasonably precise  Note on Statistical Robustness: Sample surveys have a necessary margin of error. CI +/- gives the range in which it is possible to be 95 per cent. confident the true value lies.  Notes: 1. It should be noted that the LFS: excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) is grossed to population estimates of those living in private households that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more.  2. The LFS weighting does not adjust for non-response bias by the nationality variable.  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS), ONS 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 : Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, by foreign nationality- 2002 
			  Thousand 
			  Nationality  Estimate  CI +/- 
			 All nationalities 58,261 303 
			 British 55,585 296 
			 European Union (EU15)(1) 890 37 
			 Australia, Canada or New Zealand(2) 147 15 
			 United States of America(2) 104 13 
			 Rest of the world 1,535 49 
			 (1) Estimates are shown for the European Union 15, that is: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Those with British nationality are not included in this grouping, but are shown separately in this table. (2) Statistical Robustness-Estimates are reasonably precise  Note on Statistical Robustness: Sample surveys have a necessary margin of error. CI +/- gives the range in which it is possible to be 95 per cent. confident the true value lies.  Notes: 1. Estimates are based on the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS) which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. 2. It should be noted that the LFS: excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) is grossed to population estimates of those living in private households that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more.  3. The LFS weighting does not adjust for non-response bias by the nationality variable.  Source: Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS), ONS 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 : Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, by foreign nationality- 2007 
			  Thousand 
			  Nationality  Estimate  CI +/- 
			 All nationalities 60,145 318 
			 British 56,192 307 
			 European Union (EU15)(1) 1,588 52 
			 Australia, Canada or New Zealand 193 18 
			 United States of America(2) 137 15 
			 Rest of the world 2,036 58 
			 (1) Estimates are shown for the European Union 27, that is: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania. Those with British nationality are not included in this grouping, but are shown separately in this table. (2) Statistical Robustness-Estimates are reasonably precise  Note on Statistical Robustness: Sample surveys have a necessary margin of error. CI +/- gives the range in which it is possible to be 95 per cent. confident the true value lies.  Notes: 1. Estimates are based on the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS) which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. 2. It should be noted that the LFS: excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (eg hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) is grossed to population estimates of those living in private households that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more.  3. The LFS weighting does not adjust for non-response bias by the nationality variable.  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS)/Labour Force Survey (LFS), ONS

SCOTLAND

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department  (a) he and  (b) officials of his Department (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office hosted one Christmas function in 2008.

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Ann McKechin: The Royal Mail provides a range of mail services under contract to the Scotland Office. The services are subject to annual renewal.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan, Peacekeeping operations

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the procurement of tank chassis based on those used for heavy armoured personnel carriers.

Quentin Davies: We are not currently procuring any new battle tanks. However we are engaged in competitions for the upgrade of the Warrior fighting vehicle and for the procurement of a new Reconnaissance vehicle which will replace CVRT. We hope to have announcements on these two programmes before too long.

Afghanistan, Peacekeeping operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for UK security policy in Afghanistan of the report on NATO operations in that country by ISAF Commander General Stanley McChrystal.

Bob Ainsworth: As I told the House on 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 463, we share much of General McChrystal's thinking. Together with NATO allies and ISAF partners, we are now in the process of assessing the implications of the general's report.

Afghanistan, Peacekeeping operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what leaflet drops UK forces have undertaken in Afghanistan in the last three years; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such leaflet.

Bob Ainsworth: As of 21 October 2009, UK forces have undertaken 18 Airborne Delivery leaflet drops in Afghanistan over the last three years. Leaflets are distributed in a variety of ways, both by the UK and other coalition nations. I will place examples of leaflets designed by the UK in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Young People

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made for civilian inspectorates to scrutinise elements of the Service Justice System in order to meet his commitment to implement recommendation 26 of the Blake Review; what the timetable for such inspections is; what recommendations have been made arising from those inspections that have been completed; and if he will place a copy of the summary of findings and recommendations of inspections in the Library.

Kevan Jones: In line with the Government's response to the Blake Review recommendations 24 and 26, arrangements have been made with each of the relevant inspectorates to ensure that all elements of the Service Justice System are inspected regularly. Information about completed and scheduled inspections are provided below:
	Service Police-Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary conducted its first full inspection of Royal Military Police Special Investigations Branch in June 2006; a second inspection is planned for 2011. It inspected the RAF Special Investigations Branch this year for the first time, and the first inspection of the RN Special Investigations Branch is scheduled for 2010. Inspections of the wider single service police forces are currently being considered;
	Military Court Service-Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration is currently conducting its first inspection, and is scheduled to report in April 2010. The inspection will also include legal aid and probation services;
	Service Prosecuting Authority-Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate published its report of its inspection of the Army Prosecuting Authority in June 2007. The new tri-Service Service Prosecuting Authority having only been created in 2009, its first inspection is not expected before late 2010 at the earliest;
	Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester-Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons first conducted a full inspection in 2004. It reported on its latest inspection in January 2009, and is scheduled to carry out its next inspection in 2012.
	The precise dates of inspections are dependent on inspectorates' programmes and priorities. Full inspections are scheduled to take place approximately every two years, approximately every three years for Military Corrective Training Centre, with unannounced or follow up inspections taking place in between if considered necessary.
	Each inspectorate publishes its findings on its website found at the following links:
	HMIC: http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/
	HMICA: http://www.hmica.gov.uk/
	HMCPSI: http://www.hmcpsi.gov.uk/
	HMIP: http://www.justice.gov.uk/inspectorates/hmi-prisons/

Chinook helicopters

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the HC3 Chinook helicopters to enter operational service with the Royal Air Force; and how many such aircraft are involved.

Quentin Davies: The first of eight reverted Mk3 Chinooks will be made available to the Joint Helicopter Command before the end of this year, with the remaining seven being delivered by the end of 2010.

Czech Republic: Motor Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles his Department has purchased from Tatra Trucks in the Czech Republic in the last five years.

Quentin Davies: MOD has not purchased any vehicles from Tatra Trucks in Czech Republic in the last five years.

Members: Correspondence

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the letters of 27 July 2009 and 31 August 2009 from the hon. Member for Moray on Court of Appeal costs incurred by his Department.

Kevan Jones: I will be writing shortly in response to the hon. Member's letters.

Trident

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the initial gate decision on Trident replacement has been delayed until after the forthcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Board will consider the work required during the Concept Phase work later this year. There has been no decision to delay Initial Gate because of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

African Union

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Uganda on its invitation to Omar Bashir of Sudan to attend the African Union meeting in Kampala; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Our high commissioner discussed the issue with senior officials at the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who indicated that President Bashir would not be attending the AU summit on refugees in Kampala. He has not done so.
	We have made clear our expectation that all countries cooperate with International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations on events in Darfur, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1593 of 2005. States party to the ICC, such as Uganda, have particular legal obligations.

Colombia: Foreign Relations

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 625W, on Colombia: foreign relations, on how many occasions the British Ambassador in Bogota has met the Colombian Foreign Minister to discuss  (a) bilateral relations and  (b) broader global issues in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 27 October 2009
	Our ambassador in Bogota meets the Colombian Foreign Minister on a regular basis in the course of his duties.

Conflict Prevention

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  which countries the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms has visited in an official capacity since February 2009; and what the costs of such visits were;
	(2)  which non-governmental organisations the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms has met since February 2009; and what issues were raised in each meeting;
	(3)  on which dates since February 2009 the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms has visited  (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and  (b) 10 Downing Street; and what the purpose of each visit was;
	(4)  what representations of each type the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms has received as part of his dialogue with  (a) the United Nations,  (b) the EU,  (c) the African Union and  (d) others; and on which dates each such representation was received;
	(5)  when the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms last reported to the Prime Minister; and what issues were discussed.

Ivan Lewis: The right hon. Jack McConnell MSP, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, was appointed in October 2008 and reports to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, Defence and International Development. He has made a valuable contribution to advancing the UK's peacebuilding objectives. He has in particular engaged with the UN Secretariat and key stakeholders around the world to press for an ambitious UN Secretary-General report on peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict.
	Mr. McConnell's expenses are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Travel and approximate costs of visits since February 2009 are as follows:
	In Bosnia (February 2009) he met representatives of the EC Delegation and the International Commission for Missing Persons-£1,500.
	In Ethiopia (February 2009) Mr. McConnell met with representatives of the African Union; Africa Commission; UN Economic Commission for Africa, Institute for Security Studies; Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue; Ethiopian Institute for Peace and Development-£3,000.
	In Uganda (March 2009) he met representatives of various UN agencies-£2,100.
	In the USA (April 2009) he met representatives of the International Monetary Fund; World Bank and the UN-£5,900.
	In Egypt (May 2009) he met representatives of the UN; Africa Society and International Crisis Group-£4,000.
	In Japan (May 2009) he met representatives of the Japan International Co-operation Agency; Peace Winds; Nature Japan; The Japan Foundation; the Association for Aid and Relief; the Japan Centre for Conflict Prevention; the Graduate Institute for Policy Studies-£4,600.
	In the USA (June 2009) he visited the Stanley Foundation Retreat-£1,700.
	In Brazil (July 2009) he met representatives of Mendes University; Viva Rio; GAPCon; Brazilian Youth Council; University of Brasilia-£8,650.
	Mr. McConnell travelled to West Africa in August 2009. In Liberia he met representatives of the UN Development Programme; Committee on Peace and Reconciliation. In Sierra Leone he met representatives of the Gola Forest Programme and G&G Manager Exploration. In Ghana he visited the Kofi Annan Centre for Peacekeeping and met representatives of the Legon Centre for International Affairs-whole visit £5,000.
	In Chile (September 2009) he attended a meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission-£3,540.
	Mr. McConnell travelled to Belgium (October 2009) and met with a range of EU interlocutors from the Presidency, Commission and Council Secretariat on EU/UN relations, civilian capability development, and EU civilian/military cooperation-£1,130.
	Mr. McConnell visited East Africa (Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo) (October 2009). In Burundi he met representatives of International Alert, Kamenge Youth Project, EU members and the UN Integrated Office (BINUB). In Rwanda he visited the Motobo Camp, met with members of the UN and representatives of the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, Search for Common Ground and the Mines Advisory Group. In the DRC he met representatives of the UN, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Committee of the Red Cross and Oxfam. This visit has only just been completed and the final cost is not yet available.
	Whilst in London Mr. McConnell has met with representatives from the World Child Cancer Foundation and Pumpaid.
	Some of Mr. McConnell's time is spent in London to meet or receive briefings from senior FCO, DfID and MOD officials and to see London-based experts on conflict.
	Mr. McConnell has recently met the Prime Minister, and visited the Foreign and Commonwealth office on 1 February 2009, 15 February 2009, 3 March 2009, 5 March 2009, 9 March 2009, 23 March 2009, 9 April 2009, 19 April 2009, 11 May 2009, 9 June 2009, 28 June 2009, 7 July 2009, 18 August 2009, 10 September 2009, 12 October 2009, and 26 October 2009.

Counter-Terrorism: International Cooperation

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the $750 million pledged by the UK to the Global Threat Reduction Strategy under the Global Partnership has been spent; and what the budget allocation is for each year up to 2012, broken down by project.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 26 October 2009
	As detailed in the published Sixth Annual Report of the Global Threat Reduction Programme (GTRP) (2008), of the $750 million pledged by the UK in 2002 to the Global Partnership fund, £270 million had been spent by the end of 2008. Figures for 2009 will be published in the 2009 annual report. At the last comprehensive spending review, the GTRP budget was set at £36.5 million per annum for the three years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	In a speech earlier this year, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated that funding would remain at this level for 'the foreseeable future'. A breakdown of expenditure to the end of 2008 in the key project areas, also detailed in the Sixth Annual Report, is set out in the following table. An update of spending by project will be provided in the 2009 annual report. The GTRP Ministerial Oversight Board meeting in November is scheduled to approve budget allocations for future years.
	
		
			  Project  £ million 
			 Chernobyl Shelter Project 36.668 
			 Nuclear Safety Programme 23.256 
			 Physical Protection of Proliferation of Sensitive Nuclear Materials 25.161 
			 Decommissioning in CEE/FSU 7.86 
			 Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership 28.28 
			 North West Russia 97.088 
			 KEDO 4.44 
			 UK Support for Decommissioning BN350 Reactor, Aktau, Kazakhstan 5.736 
			 Social and Economic Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Closure 4.234 
			 Information Dissemination and Programme Publicity 0.295 
			 Plutonium Reactor Closure Project 10.93 
			 Chemical Weapon Projects at Shchuch'ye 16.20 
			 Contractor Project Management and Set-up Cost 2.62 
			 Support to Green Cross Office, and Other Projects 0.64 
			 Biological Projects 2.04 
			 C WD Project Management and Support 3.38 
			 Biological Project Management and Support 1.41 
			   
			 Global Threat Reduction Programme Expenditure total 270.238 
		
	
	The full report is available to download at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/nuclear/nonprolif/global_threat/annual_report/annual_report.aspx

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and FCO Services, a trading fund of the FCO, spend on hire vehicles in each of the last three financial years is as detailed in the table. We do not have figures for earlier years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£) 
			  Coaches:  
			 2008-09 60,026.41 
			 2007-08 95,274.76 
			 2006-07 18,794.17 
			   
			  Hired Cars:  
			 2008-09 160,316.00 
			 2007-08 121,011.77 
			 2006-07 130,770.60

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Chris Bryant: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services has a logistics contract that covers diplomatic mail services with DHL Global Forwarding (UK) Ltd. Their current contract expires on 1 October 2010.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) operates a travel advice telephone information line and does not receive any financial gain from this service.
	In addition, in a consular crisis overseas the FCO can release an emergency telephone number for members of the public to use to report the possible involvement of friends or relatives. The FCO does not charge for this service.

Embassies

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which consulates he has visited in the last six months.

Chris Bryant: The Cabinet Office produces an annual list of overseas travel by Ministers. A list of all overseas visits undertaken by Ministers costing £500 or more during the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 was published in July and copies of the list have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Travel undertaken by Ministers in the last six months will be included in next year's list.

Horn of Africa: EU

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2172, on the Horn of Africa: United Nations, what the outcome was of the European Union discussions in September on the appointment of a Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa.

Ivan Lewis: A final decision has not been made on the appointment of an EU special representative to the Horn of Africa, but the issue was discussed briefly within the wider Somalia context at EU working group level on several occasions in September 2009. EU member states continue to endorse the conclusions from the General Affairs and External Relations Council of July 2009 and the possible appointment of a special representative continues to be viewed positively.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how soon he expects good governance to be achieved in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and what steps he is taking to support this.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 26 October 2009
	A UK-funded governance adviser has been involved in a major review and restructuring of the Turks and Caicos Islands' public service. Work is underway to strengthen a number of areas of public sector delivery including establishing the right balance between ministries and independent public boards to conduct the Government's business, and identifying technical expertise necessary to make the administration fit for purpose. The Government have also funded the National School of Government to provide Senior Leader Development training.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures his Department has put in place to ensure sound financial management in the Turks and Caicos Islands following the publication of Sir Robin Auld's final report on alleged corruption in that country.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 26 October 2009
	A range of UK-funded advisers have been appointed, including an economist, an auditor and two public financial management experts. They have worked with Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) public servants to carry out a full review of the TCI Government's finances. Measures have been put in place to limit public expenditure, increase revenue and bring the Islands' debt under control. These have been included in a new budget which also reflects the restructuring of the public service. The rationale behind the new budget is to provide breathing space for the introduction of the more fundamental reforms needed to ensure transparency, accountability and sustainability in the management of public finances.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the districts where troops of the Lords Resistance Army are operating.

Chris Bryant: According to reports that we have recently received, the Lords Resistance Army's main areas of activity are in Southern Sudan (mostly in Western Equatoria State), the Democratic Republic of Congo (the Haut-Uele in the Orientale province) and the Central African Republic (Haut-Mbomou prefecture).

United Nations: Festivals and Special Occasions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what events in  (a) the United Kingdom and  (b) overseas territories took place on 24 October 2009 to celebrate United Nations Day.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not informed of all events commemorating UN day across the UK or in the Overseas Territories. However, to mark UN Day 2009, my noble Friend Baroness Kinnock, FCO Minister for the UN, will host a reception for members of the UN Association-UK's young professionals network at the FCO on 28 October 2009. The reception will give young professionals from across the vocational spectrum the opportunity to hear about the ways in which the UK supports the work of the UN. Baroness Kinnock has also paid tribute to the UN and its staff by posting a message on the FCO website.
	UN Association-UK have marked UN Day through a range of activities. These included fundraising events to support the UN's humanitarian work, UN flag-raising ceremonies, conferences and speaker events, as well as the launch of its annual lobby of Parliament which aims to promote dialogue between voters and MPs on UN issues. Other events across the country include, UN 'flag day' collections (London and the South East of England), Celebration of UN Day and the International Year of Astronomy (Northern Ireland), UN Day talk on Israel and Palestine (Warwick), UN Day service (Shropshire) and UN Day ceremony (Harpenden).

HOME DEPARTMENT

62 South Eaton Place

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2009,  Official Report, column 310W, on 62 South Eaton Place, how many viewings of 62 South Eaton Place there have been since the property was placed on the market.

Phil Woolas: There have been 78 viewings since 62 South Eaton Place was placed on the market.

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drink banning orders had been made on the latest date for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: Drinking banning orders (DBOs) on application were commenced on 31 August 2009. Official statistics for 2009 are planned for publication in autumn 2010.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many procedures carried out on animals in Scotland in 2008 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involved  (a) New World primates and  (b) Old World primates; and what the primary purposes of those procedures were.

Meg Hillier: The total number of scientific procedures started using New World Primates in Scotland in 2008 was 37, of which the primary purpose was fundamental biological research for 29 procedures and applied studies-human medicine or dentistry for eight procedures. The number of scientific procedures started using Old World Primates was 1,277, for all of which the primary purpose was applied studies-human medicine or dentistry.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued on application from  (a) the police force and  (b) registered social landlords in Bassetlaw constituency.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued is not broken down by individual applicant and not available below criminal justice system (CJS) area level.
	The total number of ASBO issued on application in the Nottinghamshire CJS area from 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2007 (latest available) is 158.

Crime: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of  (a) alcohol- and  (b) drug-related crime were recorded in (i) Leeds West constituency, (ii) Leeds City and (iii) West Yorkshire in each year since 2005.

Alan Campbell: The data requested on incidents are not collected centrally. However, the British Crime Survey provides figures for violent incidents where the victim believes the offender was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Violent incidents where the victim believed the offender(s) to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 1995 to 2008-09 
			  Percentages and numbers (thousand)-BCS 
			 Statistically significant  change 
			  Offender(s) perceived to be under the influence of:( 1)  1995  1997  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  1995 to 2008-09  2007-08 to 2008-09 
			  Proportion of all violent incidents( 2) 
			 Alcohol 41 43 48 45 51 49 45 46 46 47 ** - 
			 Drugs 16 18 21 20 20 18 23 17 19 17 - - 
			  
			 Unweighted 1,078 915 1,285 1,397 1,398 1,455 1,512 1,658 1,477 1,449 - - 
			  
			  Number of violent incidents(thousand) 
			 Alcohol 1,656 1,457 1,244 1,177 1,299 1,105 1,023 1,087 971 973 ** - 
			 Drugs 655 603 549 544 474 390 531 398 390 334 ** - 
			  
			 Unweighted 16,348 14,947 32,824 36,479 37,931 45,120 47,729 47,138 46,903 46,220 - - 
			 (1 )Questions asked only if the victim was able to say something about the offender(s), and if there was more than one offender, victims were asked if any of the offenders were perceived to be under the influence. Questions were not asked if any offender(s) were perceived to be under school age. (2) 'All violence' includes wounding, assault with minor injury, assault without injury and robbery. See section 5 of volume 2 for more information.  Note s : For an explanation of year-labels see 'Conventions used in figures and tables' at the start of this volume. Taken from table 3.16 at the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109chap3.xls

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private colleges of further education have been denied registration for the purpose of student visas since the introduction of the points-based scheme.

Phil Woolas: In total 188 educational establishments have been denied registration under tier 4 of the points based system, with only one being a private college of further education.

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets apply for timescales for processing visa applications at the British consulate in Islamabad.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 October 2009
	The UK Border Agency's agreed target times for processing visa applications, including those received by the Visa Section in Islamabad, are published on its Visa Services website:
	www.ukvisa.gov.uk .
	They are:
	To complete 90 per cent. of straightforward, non-settlement applications in not more than a week, 98 per cent. in not more than two weeks, and 100 per cent. in not more 12 weeks.
	To complete 90 per cent. of non-straightforward, non-settlement applications in not more than three weeks, 98 per cent. in not more than six weeks and 100 per cent. in not more than 12 weeks.
	To complete 95 per cent. of applications for settlement visas in not more than 12 weeks and 100 per cent. in not more 24 weeks.
	The quarterly performance against these targets of each visa processing centre is also published on the website.
	We are aware that these targets are not being met in respect of applications made in Islamabad and are therefore taking urgent action to rectify this.

Firearms: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) handguns,  (b) sawn-off shotguns and  (c) unmodified shotguns were (i) used in crimes and (ii) confiscated in the Essex Constabulary area in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Available data relate to crimes recorded by the police in Essex in which handguns, sawn-off shotguns and long-barrelled shotguns were reported to have been used, from 2003-04 up to and including 2007-08 and are shown in the following table.
	Information on confiscated firearms is not available centrally.
	Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument, or used as a threat.
	
		
			  Crimes recorded by the police in Essex in which handguns, sawn-off shotguns and long-barrelled shotguns were reported to have been used, 2003-04 to 2007-08-Number of offences 
			  Recorded crime 
			  Principal weapon  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Handgun 84 37 76 86 66 
			 Sawn-off shotgun 6 3 4 8 7 
			 Long-barrelled shotgun 18 5 13 11 14

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have been held between his Department, the Forensic Science Service (FSS) and chief constables on the proposed closure of FSS centres.

Alan Campbell: Such discussions have been a matter for FSS Ltd. The FSS is moving to the new structure in response to the requirements of customers, in line with the new National Forensic Procurement Framework. Consequently, it has consulted closely with customers. This has included corresponding with all chief constables in England and Wales to keep them informed of progress. With a number of chief constables, there have also been informal discussions, at the invitation of the then executive chairman.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria have been taken into account when assessing the costs and benefits of closing forensic science centres.

Alan Campbell: The new national structure will be based around four primary sites and a number of factors were carefully considered when selecting the sites to support this structure.
	One of the main considerations was the co-location of body fluid examination with DNA analytical facilities to meet the FSS' customers' needs. DNA analytical facilities are currently based at Huntingdon, London, Trident Court and Wetherby.
	Other considerations include available laboratory space, ability to deliver National Framework, resilient team sizes, response to scenes, mix of skills, alignment to the new structure and the presence of a business stream on at least two sites.

Identity Cards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity card readers he expects to be provided for use by the general population; what estimate he has made of the cost of such readers; and what plans he has to determine the location of such readers.

Alan Johnson: Identity cards issued to British citizens can be used for travel in the European Economic Area, and so can already be read, in the same way as machine readable passports, at border controls at all significant points of entry to the United Kingdom. While identity card readers are likely to be used very widely eventually, there will need to be a critical mass of identity cards in use before this becomes feasible.
	However, we have published information on how to recognise the new identity cards, and their security features and so anyone presented with an identity card will be able to verify the card by conducting a visual or tactile check of the card, without the need to invest in specialist equipment. As the number of identity cards in circulation builds up, we will continue to explore opportunities with the commercial sector and Government agencies for reader based identity services.

Motorcycles: Registration

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy and effectiveness of the regulatory regime affecting off-road bikes.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 27 October 2009
	No assessment has been made of the adequacy and effectiveness of the regulatory regime affecting off-road bikes. There is a range of powers available to tackle the misuse of off-road bikes, such as restrictions on legal use, warnings from a police officer for riding antisocially, and seizing and crushing bikes if riders ignore warnings.
	Three independent reports have confirmed our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is working. The National Audit Office reported that two thirds of people stop committing ASB after one intervention rising to nine out of 10 ceasing after three interventions. The Home Office has commissioned an evaluation of the comparative effectiveness of ASB interventions. It is expected to report in the spring.

North Yorkshire Police: Expenditure

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the North Yorkshire police authority has spent in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each year since 1996-97.

David Hanson: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  North Yorkshire police authority expenditure 
			  Gross expenditure (£ millions)( 1) 
			   Cash terms  Real terms 
			 1996-97 69 52 
			 1997-98 74 57 
			 1998-99 79 62 
			 1999-2000 82 66 
			 2000-01 89 72 
			 2001-02 101 84 
			 2002-03 100 85 
			 2003-04 106 93 
			 2004-05 118 107 
			 2005-06 139 128 
			 2006-07 158 150 
			 2007-08 154 150 
			 2008-09(2) 150 150 
			 (1) Figures quoted from CIPFA statistics 1996-97-2008-09 (2) Estimate

Offences Against Children

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what treatment programmes are made available to those convicted of offences of child abuse.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Offender Management Service delivers a broad range of interventions to address the particular risks and treatment needs of offenders that may benefit those convicted of offences of child abuse, depending on the circumstances of the particular case.
	For those offenders convicted of child abuse, including sexual abuse, there are accredited programmes to address their offending behaviour, provided the offenders are assessed as suitable for participating in the programmes. In addition, there are accredited programmes and other interventions to address factors which may contribute to offending behaviour, such as alcohol or drug problems.
	The responsibility for the commissioning of services including offending behaviour programmes now rests with the Directors of Offender Management. It is for them to commission services which meet the need to address the offending behaviour of offenders and the requirements of sentencers in their area.

Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of reducing from 16 to 14 the age at which section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 applies.

Alan Campbell: The current age limit on directions to leave significantly limits their effectiveness as a tool for preventing alcohol related crime and disorder because it prevents the police from dealing with groups of young people of mixed ages. Clause 31 of the Policing and Crime Bill reduces the minimum age at which directions to leave can be issued from 16 to 10 so that the police can deal with all young people who are likely to be involved in crime and disorder and not just older children.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which  (a) UK Ministers and  (b) Ministers from devolved administrations, will be included in the UK delegation to the UN framework convention on climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has not yet determined the full composition of the UK delegation, so we cannot say with certainty how many Ministers or officials will be included. This will depend largely on the state of international negotiations at the time of the conference. However, we would anticipate that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will attend.
	Ministers from devolved Administrations will not be attending as part of the UK delegation, though they have been invited to nominate an official to join the delegation if they wish to.

Power Factor Correction: Capital Allowances

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons Power Factor Correction is not included in the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme; and whether he plans to include Power Factor Correction in the scheme.

David Kidney: Power Factor Correction (PFC) was considered for the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (ECA) in 2006, but not included because it was concluded that existing instruments provided a more effective incentive for the use of PFC.
	We do not have plans to include PFC equipment in the ECA scheme, but if a new application to add PFC to the scheme were made, the Carbon Trust would reassess its suitability before advising DECC.

WALES

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department  (a) he and  (b) officials of his Department (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy), hosted one Christmas function at a cost of £1,054.05. Officials did not attend this reception.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Police

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to assess public opinion on the adequacy of police coverage across the district command units of Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: A key role for the Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships is to engage directly with the public on policing matters, and to gauge public views on policing. This includes surveys on satisfaction levels with police patrols in local areas. In April 2009 the Policing Board published results of its Omnibus Survey 'Public perceptions of the police, DPPs and the Northern Ireland Policing Board'. This survey found that 42 per cent. of respondents were very/fairly satisfied with the levels of police patrols in their local area.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the police in Northern Ireland have to inform persons interested in applying for police careers that from 2011 all applicants are to be treated on their merits alone.

Paul Goggins: The temporary 50:50 recruitment provisions will remain in force until the Government's target of 30 per cent. Catholic composition within PSNI regulars has been achieved. It is anticipated that this will occur before March 2011. After the provisions have ended, recruitment to the PSNI will operate on the same legal basis as to other occupations. It will be for the Chief Constable and the recruitment agent to decide how this message will be communicated to potential applicants in the future.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cultural Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent from the Exchequer on  (a) heritage,  (b) sports and  (c) the arts in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows funding by the Exchequer for the arts, sports and heritage sector in cash and real terms since 1997.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   The arts sector including support functions  Real terms 2008-09  The sports sector including support function  Real terms 2008-09  Heritage sector including support functions  Real terms 2008-09 
			 1997-98 196.4 255.5 50.1 65.2 182.3 237.1 
			 1998-99 199.7 254.4 49.4 62.9 169.4 215.8 
			 1999-2000 229.8 287.0 51.6 64.5 171.1 213.8 
			 2000-01 238.8 294.4 52.6 64.8 175.8 216.7 
			 2001-02 252.9 305.1 63.9 77.0 184.9 223.0 
			 2002-03 301.5 352.2 109.8 128.2 186.1 217.4 
			 2003-04 367.6 417.8 78.9 89.7 383.6 435.9 
			 2004-05 398.2 440.2 111.5 123.3 196.7 217.4 
			 2005-06 410.6 445.6 117.5 127.6 196.1 212.8 
			 2006-07 430.4 453.7 169.5 178.7 208.0 219.3 
			 2007-08 425.9 436.3 193.9 198.7 211.7 216.9 
			 2008/09 435.8 435.8 215.8 215.8 221.6 221.6 
		
	
	These data have been drawn from the published DCMS Appropriation Accounts and Resource Accounts, which are audited by the National Audit Office.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: My Department does not directly operate any helplines.

National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills: Thurrock

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills during the summer adjournment on funding provision for the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills in Thurrock; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: My hon. Friend the member for Stevenage, then Minister for Culture and Tourism, discussed the Creative and cultural National Skills Academy with my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff West during the recess.
	The discussion highlighted the National Skills Academy's importance both to the cultural sector and to the regional and national economy.
	My Department is working closely with colleagues at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that the skills needs for this important sector are met.

Olympic Games 2012: Culture

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Cultural Olympiad is taking to celebrate the British cultural contribution to sport and the Olympics.

Margaret Hodge: The Cultural Olympiad Board is working with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and partners throughout the cultural sector to deliver the Cultural Olympiad.
	This is a great opportunity to celebrate the best of our British culture. We are doing so in a number of ways, putting culture at the heart of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. There are 10 proposed major national projects, which will form the backbone of our London 2012 cultural activities, encompassing everything from art to music to theatre. The Olympic Lottery Distributor recently announced a grant of £15.6 million to support these projects.
	There is also a UK-wide programme for cultural projects that have identified their own funding. LOCOG estimates that over £5 million has been raised by these projects. Over 100 cultural organisations have successfully applied to be part of the Cultural Olympiad UK-wide programme and they demonstrate that link by being given the LOCOG Inspire Mark.

Overseas Visitors

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what effect his Department estimates the reduction in VisitBritain's budget will have on international visitor numbers to the UK in 2010.

Margaret Hodge: VisitBritain's budget was set in 2007, in the context of expected efficiencies through increased and better use of technology, changing priorities with new and emerging markets, internal restructuring and more focused marketing. The Department does not therefore believe there has been a direct impact from this on international visitor numbers. Visitor numbers have, however, been affected by the global downturn as they have in other countries.
	The United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimates that total global arrivals will decline by between 4 and 6 per cent. in 2009, and VisitBritain has forecast that the number of international visitors to the UK could decline by up to 5 per cent. in 2009. In the first eight months of 2009, 9 per cent. fewer overseas visitors came to the UK compared to the same period in 2008. However, overseas visitors' spend over this period is only 1 per cent. lower than in 2009.
	VisitBritain invested £3.5 million in a 'Value for Money Campaign' during the spring and summer of 2009 to encourage more inward bound tourism. The campaign emphasised favourable currency exchange rates and the very high quality of the tourism offer in this country.

Sports: Clubs

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of sports clubs were eligible to participate in the community amateur sports club scheme in each local authority area in the North West in each year since the scheme was introduced; and how many and what proportion of eligible sports clubs joined the scheme in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not possible to determine how many sports clubs could be eligible for participation in the Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC) scheme. Neither do Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who administer the scheme, separately identify CASCs by local authority area. A list of registered clubs, and their addresses, is published on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/casc/
	and is updated on a monthly basis.
	To the 5 October 2009, 5456 clubs had registered as CASCs. The yearly breakdown since the scheme was introduced is in the following table.
	
		
			   New clubs registering  Total registrations 
			 2003 557 557 
			 2004 1447 2004 
			 2005 1500 3504 
			 2006 637 4141 
			 2007 387 4528 
			 2008 550 5078 
			 2009 378 5456

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Apprentices: Industrial Health and Safety

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the application of health and safety requirements on apprentices under the age of 18 years.

Iain Wright: The health and safety of young people in the workplace is one of the foremost concerns of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and Learning and Skills Council (LSC) when considering the suitability of training providers and employers in receiving financial support through our Apprenticeships programme. These duties are specified in all contracts with training providers and supporting guidance. The LSC and NAS are responsible to my Department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for ensuring these contractual duties are carried out and that young people entering the workplace are properly protected. Employers remain subject to their legal responsibilities for apprentices as they do for other employees.

Children In Care

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many cases of residents absconding from children's care homes there have been in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 12 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1069W. Figures for 2009 will be available by the end of the year.

Children In Care

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many special guardianship orders have been granted in  (a) England and  (b) Essex in each year since their inception.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1733W.
	National level figures for 2009 can be found in table D1 of Statistical First Release Children Looked After in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2009, which is available on the Department's website via following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000878/index.shtml
	Local authority figures for 2009 will be available by the end of the year.

Children: Human Rights

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission research to establish the lawfulness of practices used by institutions to restrict the freedom of movement of children.

Dawn Primarolo: All institutions are inspected by the relevant inspectorate. Where the inspectorate has reason to believe that the institution is using unlawful practices to restrict the movement of young people they will take appropriate enforcement action. We do not currently plan to commission research into the practices used by institutions to restrict the freedom of movement of children.

Family Intervention Projects

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department may take to deal with families which refuse to enter into a Family Intervention Project contract agreement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many families have refused to enter into a Family Intervention Project contract agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 October 2009
	While a family's initial involvement in a Family Intervention Project is voluntary, the projects draw on and drive home the implications of sanctions that a family or family members may already be facing. These include seeking possession of a family's tenancy, a parenting order, antisocial behaviour order, proceedings to take children into care and juvenile specific orders.
	Provisional data from the Family Intervention Project (FIP) online monitoring information system, maintained by the National Centre for Social Research, show that as at 31 March 2009 of the 2,295 who have been offered a Family Intervention Project only 70 refused outright to enter into a contract and another 114 refused to enter into a contract after initially accepting the offer.

GCSE: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in what proportion of schools in each index of multiple deprivation decile fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils obtained five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: For 2008 figures I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1050-52W. School level figures for 2009 are currently being checked by schools as part of the annual results checking exercise prior to publication in the Achievement and Attainment Tables in January 2010. The requested information will be available shortly afterwards.

Schools: Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he plans to publish the School Sport Survey for 2008-09;
	(2)  how many schoolchildren participated in  (a) two,  (b) four and  (c) five or more hours of sport each week in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: The 2008/09 School Sport Survey was published on 14 October. It can be found at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR168.pdf
	The 2008/09 survey is the sixth undertaken by the Department on PE and Sport, but for the first time we have moved away from measuring two hours of PE and sport each week, which 90 per cent. of pupils participated in last year. Instead, as part of the strategy's overall move towards offering five hours of PE and sport for young people in schools and other settings, the survey measured participation in at least three hours of PE and out of hours sport each week in schools for the first time. The survey found that 50 per cent. of pupils in Years 1-13 (including 6(th) forms) participated in at least three hours of high quality PE and out of hours school sport.

Schools: Vetting

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in his Department's Review of the definitions of frequency and intensity in the vetting and barring process; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Secretary of State has asked Sir Roger Singleton, chairman of the Independent Safeguarding Authority and the Government's Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children, to check whether the Government have drawn the line in the right place in relation to the degree of contact with children which should trigger the requirement to register with the new scheme. The Secretary of State's letter of 14 September 2009 to Barry Sheerman (copies of which are in the Libraries of both Houses) sets out the context of the issue Sir Roger has been asked to consider. Sir Roger has been asked to report to Ministers by early December.

JUSTICE

Community Orders: Females

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women received community sentences with requirements in relation to  (a) compulsory unpaid work, (b) participation in any specified activities,  (c) prohibition from certain activities,  (d) curfew,  (e) exclusion,  (f) residence,  (g) mental health treatment,  (h) drug rehabilitation,  (i) alcohol treatment,  (j) supervision and  (k) attendance centres in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Claire Ward: The following table shows the number of each of the requirements started by women under community orders in 2007 and 2008 who started probation service supervision in England and Wales. 2008 is the latest complete year for which published information is available.
	
		
			  Number of requirements started by women under community orders 
			  Requirements( 1)  2007  2008 
			 Supervision 13,498 13,950 
			 Unpaid work 8,509 8,791 
			 Drug treatment 2,483 2,799 
			 Accredited programme 3,199 2,794 
			 Curfew 1,753 2,298 
			 Specified activity 1,647 1,937 
			 Alcohol treatment 541 785 
			 Exclusion 128 163 
			 Residential 160 157 
			 Mental health 119 149 
			 Prohibited activity 105 118 
			 Attendance centre 43 40 
			 Total 32,185 33,981 
			 (1) The figures show the number of requirements started by women under community orders. There were 18,287 women who started these orders in 2007, and 19,191 in 2008.  Note: The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Criminal Proceedings: Ex-servicemen

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, 
	(1)  what recent steps his Department has taken to assist armed forces veterans in the criminal justice system;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of armed forces veterans who are in the criminal justice system.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service, the Ministry of Defence and third sector partners, have made significant progress in further developing the range of services and support available for veterans who have offended. New posters and leaflets have been distributed in order to promote the support that is on offer to veterans in prison and after release. Prison officers have been given access to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency website and, where Governors allow, prisoners have direct access to their free helpline. Charities providing support have access to veterans for welfare visits which do not count against prisoners' personal visits allowance.
	A guide for prison officers working with veterans is under development this has been informed by good practice in existence in a number of prisons and work is in progress to prepare instructions for probation staff supervising ex-service personnel, in the community.
	New IT-based offender assessment procedures include questioning to identify offenders who have served in the armed forces. This is in the early stages of roll out across the prison estate and will be fully implemented by May 2010.
	While we acknowledge that we are currently unable to identify all of those prisoners who are veterans, we are confident that assessment at induction will signpost offenders, according to need, to the range of generic interventions that are available. This will include mental health in-reach, referral to the Medical Assessment Programme at St. Thomas' Hospital providing specialist health assessment for veterans and referral to Combat Stress Treatment Centres for help with anxiety management, post-traumatic stress, sleep disorder and grief. To complement this, the Prison Service provides a range of 14 Offending Behaviour Programmes, six Drug Programmes and a therapeutic community at Grendon prison.
	Work is ongoing to quantify the numbers of armed forces veterans in the criminal justice system. Data matching will begin during November and we will disseminate the numbers identified by December. Discussions are underway with a view to extending this to encompass offenders serving community sentences. We anticipate that the data will enable us to examine some of the paths into offending, make decisions about whether more specific services need to be developed and provide more targeted support.

Custodial Treatment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people  (a) of each sex and  (b) in each age band were sentenced to immediate custody for non-violent and non-sexual offences in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people  (a) of either sex and  (b) in each age band were in custody for non-violent and non-sexual offences in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The information requested for how many people of each sex and in each age band were sentenced to immediate custody for non-violent and non-sexual offences in each year since 1997 is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Number of people sentenced to immediate custody, by sex and age for non violent and non sexual offences since 1997 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Male
			 10-17 4,009 3,991 4,055 3,747 3,676 3,439 2,896 2,815 2,619 2,681 2,522 
			 18-20 8,853 9,381 9,669 9,776 9,121 8,519 7,065 6,718 6,255 6,116 6/412 
			 21 and over 38,150 41,228 42,557 43,105 42,842 46,387 45,186 43,901 41,607 39,158 39,367 
			 Total 51,012 54,600 56,281 56,628 55,639 58,345 55,147 53,434 50,481 47,955 48,301 
			  Female
			 10-17 132 148 222 228 193 235 179 173 191 153 176 
			 18-20 418 617 687 822 765 751 681 507 535 507 417 
			 21 and over 3,545 4,221 4,860 4,920 5,112 5,585 5,664 5,646 5,134 4,953 5,026 
			 Total 4,095 4,986 5,769 5,970 6,070 6,571 6,524 6,326 5,860 5,613 5,619 
			  Source:  OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures are based on published figures in Sentencing Statistics 2007 pivot tables at;
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	They include all categories in published figures except totals for violence against the person, robbery, and sexual offences, and summary offences.
	The table shows the number of persons sentenced to immediate custody for non violent and non sexual offences, by sex and age. The data are presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
	Table 2 shows the prison population in all prison establishments in England and Wales sentenced for non-violent and non-sexual offences, in each year since 2003, the earliest available year.
	
		
			  Table 2 :  Prisoners sentenced for non violent and non-sexual offences 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Male
			 15-17 936 876 929 882 857 844 633 
			 Young adults (18-20) 3,272 3,075 2,843 2,744 3,023 3,018 3,012 
			 Adults (21 and over) 25,836 26,351 26,209 26,076 25,654 26,572 25,605 
			 Total 30,044 30,302 29,981 29,702 29,534 30,434 29,250 
			 Female
			 15-17 26 37 16 23 23 26 17 
			 Young adults (18-20) 209 185 157 158 132 169 111 
			 Adults (21 and over) 2,299 2,207 2,285 2,297 2,145 2,219 2,028 
			 Total 2,534 2,429 2,458 2,478 2,300 2,414 2,156 
		
	
	These figures are based on those published at the following websites:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	and
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	where sub-totals for violence against the person, sexual offences, and robbery have been excluded. Juveniles in Secure Training Centres and Local Authority Secure Children's Homes are excluded.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Electoral Register

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how many years the data gathered on electoral registers are retained; whether such data are retained centrally; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: There is no specific legislative provision that specifies that data gathered on electoral registers may only be retained for a set period. It is for electoral registration officers to determine how long the information should be retained having regard to relevant principles, including those set out in the Data Protection Act.
	The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (S.I.2001/341), and the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (S.1.2001/497), as amended, and the Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008 (S.I.2008/1741) set out the regulatory regime governing access to the electoral register.
	Data gathered on electoral registers are not retained centrally. However, under the regulations, relevant parts of the full register may be supplied by an electoral registration officer to certain persons and bodies for use for specific purposes, including statistical and crime prevention purposes. It is for each organisation to determine how long they wish to retain the electoral register for, and I understand national libraries retain them indefinitely.

Homicide: Prisoners Release

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of murder have been released from prison in each of the last 10 years; what their original prison sentence was in each case; how much time in prison each served; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Ward: The Courts must impose a mandatory life sentence on any individual convicted of murder. This is the only sentence available for such a conviction.
	The following table gives the numbers of such prisoners first released in each of the last 10 years from all prison establishments in England and Wales, and the amount of time served at point of release. It is clear there are fewer offenders serving longer sentences.
	
		
			  Year of first release  Number of m andatory  l ifers  Average time served (years) 
			 1999 110 13 
			 2000 101 13 
			 2001 111 13 
			 2002 117 14 
			 2003 185 15 
			 2004 152 14 
			 2005 156 14 
			 2006 100 14 
			 2007 90 16 
			 2008 98 16 
		
	
	This table is taken from table 9.5 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library and which can also be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Human Trafficking: Compensation

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many compensation orders against convicted human traffickers there have been in each of the last three years; and how much money has been realised as a result.

Maria Eagle: According to the Ministry's court proceedings database, there were no offenders ordered to pay compensation for offences relating to human trafficking in the years 2005-2007, the latest three years for which data are available. Data for 2008 will be available when 'Sentencing Statistics 2008' is published.

Injunctions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number of non-reportable injunctive orders each judge of the High Court has issued in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will  (a) collate and  (b) publish statistics on the numbers of injunctions issued in the High Court in the last five years where the claimants have been granted anonymity in the listed name of the case.

Jack Straw: Information on injunctions granted and the judges who made them is held on the court file relating to the relevant case. Although the High Court in England and Wales collects figures on applications generally, applications relating to injunctions are not separately identifiable, and there are currently no plans to amend databases to make them so. Only if an inquiry is made with the relevant details of the case would it be possible, by reference to the case file, to ascertain if a non-reportable injunction had been made and the identity of the relevant judge.

Legal Aid

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legal aid lawyers 
	(1)  dealt with  (a) housing cases,  (b) employment cases and  (c) family cases in (i) Mid Bedfordshire constituency, (ii) the East of England and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  dealing with immigration and asylum cases there were in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) the East of England and  (c) England in each of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: Figures are only available for the last nine years, since the Access to Justice Act came in. Information is not held on the number of practitioners at each firm and instead shows the number of solicitor offices providing legal aid services each year.
	Prior to the introduction of the civil unified contract in April 2007 and criminal unified contract in July 2008, legal aid providers delivering services in more than one office would hold separate contracts for each of those offices. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) now contracts with legal aid firms but each firm may have several offices. The office then holds a schedule or schedules that enable it to undertake work in each category of law. Therefore, from the introduction of the unified contracts, the total figures do not represent the total number of offices.
	Over the period there has been a downward trend in the overall number of solicitor offices dealing with legal aid. This is because there has been a continuing process of offices that do only small amounts of legal aid work leaving the market or merging with other offices, so that the work is done in larger volumes at fewer offices. In addition, the Legal Services Commission has over time sought to terminate dormant accounts where no work was being done.
	The figures requested are available in the following tables.
	
		
			  England and Wales 
			  Financial years  Family  Housing  Employment  Immigration asylum( 1) 
			 2000-01 (Start) 4,593 799 384 458 
			 2000-01 (End) 4036 673 300 482 
			 2001-02 (Start) 3,819 614 256 438 
			 2001-02 (End) 3,757 585 240 514 
			 2002-03 (Start) 3,645 563 218 500 
			 2002-03 (End) 3,591 531 212 555 
			 2003-04 (Start) 3,369 504 194 521 
			 2003-04 (End) 3,270 471 187 513 
			 2004-05 (Start) 3,072 450 163 380 
			 2004-05 (End) 3,115 455 164 393 
			 2005-06 (Start) 2,967 422 151 327 
			 2005-06 (End) 2,881 420 136 264 
			 2006-07 (Start) 2,784 410 128 239 
			 2006-07 (End) 2,719 387 126 214 
			 2007-08 (End) 2,679 370 114 182 
			 2008-09 (End) 2,658 381 126 176 
			 (1 )The immigration/asylum categories were split in 2004 so we can only provide information on immigration and other after this point. 
		
	
	
		
			  Local authority-mid Bedfordshire 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Employment - - - - 2 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Housing 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 - 
			 Immigration - 1 - - - - - - - - 
			 Immigration Asylum - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 Immigration Other - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 Family 8 7 8 8 7 6 5 5 5 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Procurement area-east of England 
			  Category of law/ Procurement area  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Employment   
			 Bedfordshire 5 3 3 3 5 5 6 2 5 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 1 3 3 
			 East Essex 9 7 6 5 4 5 4 3 6 6 
			 Norfolk 12 8 6 6 5 5 5 1 2 2 
			 North Hertfordshire 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 
			 South Hertfordshire 1 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 
			 Suffolk 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 - 2 2 
			 West Essex 4 4 2 2 6 5 6 2 7 7 
			
			  Housing   
			 Bedfordshire 9 8 9 9 7 6 6 5 8 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 7 5 6 4 5 5 6 3 6 5 
			 East Essex 11 9 8 7 8 6 5 3 7 7 
			 Norfolk 13 11 9 6 8 9 8 3 5 5 
			 North Hertfordshire 3 2 3 2 2 2 1 - 1 1 
			 South Hertfordshire 2 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 4 4 
			 Suffolk 4 4 4 4 5 4 3 3 4 4 
			 West Essex 7 5 4 3 5 5 6 3 8 8 
			
			  Immigration   
			 Bedfordshire 6 6 - - - - - - - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 7 - - - - - - - - 
			 East Essex 2 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 Norfolk 2 2 - - - - - - - - 
			 North Hertfordshire 1 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 South Hertfordshire 1 1 - - - - - - - - 
			 Suffolk 3 - - - - - - - - - 
			 West Essex 1 1 - - - - - - - - 
			
			  Immigration Asylum   
			 Bedfordshire - - 6 5 3 3 3 2 3 3 
			 Cambridgeshire - - 3 1 - 1 1 2 4 3 
			 East Essex - - 2 2 2 - - - - - 
			 Norfolk - - 2 1 1 1 1 1 - - 
			 North Hertfordshire - - 2 1 1 1 1 1 - - 
			 South Hertfordshire - - 1 1 1 1 1 - - - 
			 Suffolk - - - - - - - - - - 
			 West Essex - - - - - - - - - - 
			
			  Immigration Other   
			 Bedfordshire - - 6 6 4 4 4 2 3 3 
			 Cambridgeshire - - 5 3 3 5 4 2 4 3 
			 East Essex - - 2 2 2 - - - - - 
			 Norfolk - - 1 1 1 1 - 1 - - 
			 North Hertfordshire - - 3 2 1 1 1 1 - - 
			 South Hertfordshire - - 1 1 1 1 1 - - - 
			 Suffolk - - - - - - - - - - 
			 West Essex - - - - - - - - - - 
			
			  Family   
			 Bedfordshire 42 38 38 35 34 31 30 30 27 25 
			 Cambridgeshire 51 46 46 43 44 37 36 29 31 31 
			 East Essex 44 41 40 32 31 29 27 22 24 24 
			 Norfolk 69 61 53 48 50 44 42 41 39 37 
			 North Hertfordshire 39 34 31 25 21 19 18 16 13 13 
			 South Hertfordshire 43 37 36 30 27 24 17 23 25 23 
			 Suffolk 55 48 47 46 46 43 41 41 40 38 
			 West Essex 64 55 53 52 49 46 45 43 47 47

Legal Aid: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for legal aid from residents of  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England there have been in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: Applications for civil legal aid advice are made to individual providers, and the LSC records the number of instances of advice provided, rather than the number of applications made. Applications for civil legal aid representation are made to the Legal Services Commission. Not all applications are granted. The applications received for representation for the last five years in the requested areas is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Mid Bedfordshire constituency  East of England  England 
			 2004-05 173 15,732 180,591 
			 2005-06 187 15,498 182,187 
			 2006-07 151 14,935 177,309 
			 2007-08 114 13,365 161,206 
			 2008-09 130 13,670 171,492

Legal Aid: Immigration

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the Legal Services Commission does not allow consortium bids for funding on immigration cases.

Bridget Prentice: Following consultation, the LSC proposed that consortium arrangements should only be permitted for core social welfare law categories such as debt, housing and welfare benefits. This was in order to ensure that integrated services can be provided for people who will often have multiple problems. In immigration cases, the necessary services are capable of being delivered by single providers; therefore there is not the need to allow consortium bids.
	Providers will be able to bid for asylum and immigration new matter starts as part of the 2010 process and the number of starts available will vary from area to area according to demand. Providers will be required to do a minimum volume of cases in each area of law (except in Devon where only non-asylum starts will be made available).

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 15 September 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard Mr. D Smith.

Jack Straw: I replied to the right hon. Member on 21 October. I apologise for the delay.

Prisoners Release

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners released in each year since 2000 for which figures are available had already completed  (a) a community sentence,  (b) one custodial sentence,  (c) more than one custodial sentence and  (d) more than five custodial sentences.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows actual reoffending rates and frequency of reoffending per 100 offenders who were discharged from custody in the first quarter of each year from 2000 to 2007 (latest available data), broken down by the number of previous custodial sentences. Information is not available for the number of community sentences that an offender has previously received.
	Further information on the one year rates of reoffending can be found in:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm.
	
		
			  Table 1: Actual reoffending rates and frequency per 100 offenders for those discharged from custody, by number of previous custodial sentences, 2000, 2002-07 cohorts 
			  Number of previous custodial sentences  Cohort year  Number of offenders released from custody  Actual reoffending rate  Number of offences per 100 offenders 
			 No previous custodial sentences 2000 Q1 5,657 28.8 108.2 
			  2002 Q1 5,134 30.8 122.7 
			  2003 Q1 4,610 26.7 99.0 
			  2004 Q1 4,773 25.1 85.9 
			  2005 Q1 4,500 22.4 75.4 
			  2006 Q1 4,637 21.5 67.8 
			  2007 Q1 3,939 22.7 72.3 
			 One previous custodial sentence 2000 Q1 2,475 50.8 220.5 
			  2002 Q1 2,342 51.6 236.3 
			  2003 Q1 2,039 50.4 214.4 
			  2004 Q1 2,232 45.2 202.0 
			  2005 Q1 2,000 42.0 164.2 
			  2006 Q1 1,927 39.4 153.1 
			  2007 Q1 1,767 41.3 146.0 
			 Between two and five previous custodial sentences 2000 Q1 4,612 63.8 319.3 
			  2002 Q1 4,739 66.9 361.9 
			  2003 Q1 4,337 65.0 336.4 
			  2004 Q1 4,760 61.1 286.7 
			  2005 Q1 4,315 58.7 256.3 
			  2006 Q1 4,015 54.4 226.0 
			  2007 Q1 3,534 53.8 237.4 
			 More than five previous custodial sentences 2000 Q1 2,973 75.4 413.4 
			  2002 Q1 3,350 77.8 473.4 
			  2003 Q1 3,360 78.9 491.2 
			  2004 Q1 3,984 76.8 441.6 
			  2005 Q1 3,764 73.8 413.9 
			  2006 Q1 3,785 72.3 390.2 
			  2007 Q1 3,570 70.8 413.9 
			 Total 2000 Q1 15,717 51.4 245.6 
			  2002 Q1 15,565 55.0 288.1 
			  2003 Q1 14,346 53.9 279.0 
			  2004 Q1 15,749 51.9 253.1 
			  2005 Q1 14,579 49.1 228.5 
			  2006 Q1 14,364 46.5 208.4 
			  2007 Q1 12,810 47.2 223.2 
			  Note: Please note that data are not available for 2001 due to a problem with archived data on court orders. Since it will not substantially increase the knowledge on the current progress on reoffending, no resources have been allocated to fix this problem.

Prisoners: Drugs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were found guilty of  (a) possession of and  (b) drug dealing offences involving (i) cannabis, (ii) ecstasy, (iii) cocaine, (iv) crack cocaine and (v) heroin in each year since 1997; and how many received (A) a custodial sentence, (B) a community sentence, (C) a treatment order, (D) a fine and (E) another punishment.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for possession of, and dealing in, certain drugs, by sentence, England and Wales, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	The statistics given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. For example, when a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for possession of, and dealing in, certain drugs, by sentence, England and Wales 1997 to  2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Period  Offence description  Found guilty  Total sentenced  Immediate custody  Community sentence( 4)  Drug t reatment  and testing o rder( 5)  Fine  Otherwise dealt with 
			  1997 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 17,275 17,227 268 1,505 n/a 11,890 3,564 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 2,499 2,475 1,129 917 n/a 212 217 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,414 1,400 650 493 n/a 145 112 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,048 1,049 62 282 n/a 564 141 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 544 537 410 89 n/a 15 23 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 310 301 228 53 n/a 9 11 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 1,050 1,046 70 237 n/a 624 115 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 291 287 228 32 n/a 10 17 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 137 134 102 24 n/a 4 4 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 195 194 20 38 n/a 104 32 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 38 37 32 3 n/a 1 1 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 66 67 57 4 n/a 4 2 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 3,248 3,250 319 1,078 n/a 1,138 715 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 744 726 604 83 n/a 8 31 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 789 779 659 90 n/a 11 19 
			  Total 29,648 29,509 4,838 4,928 n/a 14,739 5,004 
			  
			  1998 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 22,643 22,616 410 2,042 n/a 15,503 4,661 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 2,648 2,713 1,284 990 n/a 244 195 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,442 1,458 656 509 n/a 155 138 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 753 743 51 185 n/a 408 99 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 304 291 217 51 n/a 11 12 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 246 249 179 46 n/a 5 19 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 1,644 1,642 103 349 n/a 1,003 187 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 334 332 260 48 n/a 9 15 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 223 213 161 30 n/a 14 8 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 369 361 48 91 n/a 192 30 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 88 85 73 8 n/a 3 1 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 91 84 68 7 n/a 6 3 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 4,331 4,311 500 1,493 n/a 1,505 813 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 822 830 656 131 n/a 13 30 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 892 903 737 119 n/a 7 40 
			  Total 36,830 36,831 5,403 6,099 n/a 19,078 6,251 
			  
			  1999 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 22,623 22,672 451 2,148 - 15,215 4,858 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 2,246 2,316 1,112 789 - 197 218 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,168 1,209 573 438 - 116 82 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,262 1,253 69 344 - 681 159 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 451 454 338 84 - 16 16 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 231 227 173 39 - 6 9 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 2,039 2,035 146 409 - 1,243 237 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 346 345 282 42 - 8 13 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 322 310 262 29 - 10 9 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 491 483 50 119 - 246 68 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 74 72 62 6 - 2 2 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 116 122 107 10 - 2 3 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 4,814 4,836 591 1,626 3 1,660 956 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 883 912 741 117 - 18 36 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,144 1,126 953 126 1 6 40 
			  Total 38,210 38,372 5,910 6,326 4 19,426 6,706 
			  
			  2000( 6) Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 20,602 20,676 361 1,967 1 13,539 4,808 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,802 1,859 808 725 2 150 174 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 842 870 405 318 - 68 79 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,955 1,978 108 568 1 1,014 287 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 736 736 520 162 - 20 34 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 327 335 234 78 - 10 13 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 1,875 1,884 140 418 - 1,117 209 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 364 350 295 34 1 10 10 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 258 246 193 32 - 8 13 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 502 506 63 124 - 265 54 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 90 90 83 3 - 1 3 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 98 109 95 10 - 1 3 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 5,068 5,082 605 1,698 18 1,703 1,058 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 921 943 792 102 3 8 38 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,229 1,279 1,069 169 3 6 32 
			  Total 36,669 36,943 5,771 6,408 29 17,920 6,815 
			  
			  2001 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 20,752 20,736 290 1,993 21 12,960 5,472 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,358 1,401 618 535 8 100 140 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 613 623 265 241 2 60 55 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 2,493 2,485 151 796 7 1,201 330 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 960 982 690 231 4 20 37 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 376 377 252 87 1 14 23 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 1,968 1,977 147 468 21 1,107 234 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 456 444 359 53 8 9 15 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 300 288 235 32 6 5 10 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 633 626 75 170 13 281 87 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 121 118 93 12 2 5 6 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 134 136 117 13 4 - 2 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 5,411 5,436 635 1,651 154 1,856 1,140 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,004 1,023 848 99 20 24 32 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,203 1,216 1,000 130 39 5 42 
			  Total 37,782 37,868 5,775 6,511 310 17,647 7,625 
			  
			  2002 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 23,655 23,627 241 2,674 28 14,123 6,561 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,388 1,383 547 631 1 103 101 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 592 598 258 226 3 51 60 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 2,165 2,170 100 629 7 1,078 356 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 830 843 578 212 3 22 28 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 365 364 216 113 4 13 18 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 2,230 2,233 142 469 10 1,332 280 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 554 538 430 73 4 13 18 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 371 367 311 32 4 8 12 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 802 786 87 181 7 394 117 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 179 161 131 24 1 2 3 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 142 133 116 13 4 - - 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 5,042 5,040 560 1,434 150 1,758 1,138 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 962 945 774 87 30 9 45 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,234 1,243 1,044 111 38 4 46 
			  Total 40,511 40,431 5,535 6,909 294 18,910 8,783 
			  
			  2003 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 25,714 25,665 288 3,103 55 15,172 7,047 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,470 1,462 475 748 15 111 113 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 522 514 222 213 4 33 42 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 2,009 2,001 81 569 7 1,023 321 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 746 743 461 212 7 24 39 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 219 218 127 62 4 10 15 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 2,448 2,455 153 528 18 1,411 345 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 687 682 564 63 11 19 25 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 456 468 409 38 3 5 13 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 868 862 109 226 11 381 135 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 238 235 195 27 5 2 6 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 227 211 180 8 13 2 8 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 4,556 4,563 484 1,173 191 1,541 1,174 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,100 1,121 884 142 50 12 33 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,308 1,350 1,095 126 83 7 39 
			  Total 42,568 42,550 5,727 7,238 477 19,753 9,355 
			  
			  2004( 7) Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 13,320 13,302 161 2,390 45 6,972 3,734 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1247 1210 420 604 8 79 99 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 456 444 156 204 5 43 36 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,853 1,849 60 598 7 840 344 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 603 603 394 166 10 10 23 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 172 165 100 54 2 5 4 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 2,740 2,737 132 571 35 1,516 483 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 792 796 658 92 12 14 20 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 446 442 371 49 13 3 6 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 862 846 79 202 39 328 198 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 247 232 190 31 7 3 1 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 266 239 196 25 8 - 10 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 4,256 4,258 428 1,113 238 1,405 1,074 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,175 1,145 913 125 64 3 40 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,415 1,409 1,164 121 94 7 23 
			  Total 29,850 29,677 5,422 6,345 587 11,228 6,095 
			  
			  2005 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 12,095 12,050 136 2415 17 6316 3166 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 993 950 272 513 13 62 90 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 393 367 135 153 6 25 48 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,677 1,672 61 513 18 761 319 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 557 551 342 156 9 8 36 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 187 172 91 50 9 7 15 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 3,183 3,161 154 727 43 1,731 506 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 956 930 748 104 25 14 39 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 490 451 316 62 32 14 27 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 925 921 107 228 34 386 166 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 318 303 246 22 14 7 14 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 276 265 198 30 27 1 9 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 3,955 3,943 384 1,026 215 1,230 1,088 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,123 1,118 848 146 79 5 40 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,305 1,252 902 156 145 5 44 
			  Total 28,433 28,106 4,940 6,301 686 10,572 5,607 
			  
			  2006 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 12,536 12,452 141 2526 1 6368 3416 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 957 884 240 378 - 29 237 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 385 352 101 118 - 21 112 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,539 1,524 62 478 - 672 312 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 434 419 256 77 1 10 75 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 169 164 81 45 1 14 23 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 4,001 3,981 187 981 3 2,055 755 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 1,006 986 774 92 2 9 109 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 502 502 358 65 4 12 63 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 975 973 86 290 2 392 203 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 300 298 231 44 1 3 19 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 278 272 202 37 - 4 29 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 3,961 3,939 370 1,200 8 1,159 1,202 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,103 1,101 847 150 5 8 91 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,181 1,166 810 192 18 - 146 
			  Total 29,327 29,013 4,746 6,673 46 10,756 6,792 
			  
			  2007 Having possession of a controlled drug: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 14,073 14,004 162 3,009 - 6,839 3,994 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 958 910 232 340 - 32 306 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cannabis and cannabis resin. 367 354 101 120 - 29 104 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: MDMA. 1,590 1,571 70 505 - 618 378 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 513 509 276 87 - 7 139 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : MDMA. 169 158 73 34 - 2 49 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Cocaine. 4,901 4,882 213 1,350 - 2,307 1,012 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cocaine. 1,171 1,165 837 119 - 19 190 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Cocaine. 542 526 353 70 - 6 97 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Crack cocaine. 1,236 1,211 106 368 - 409 328 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Crack cocaine. 369 364 276 45 1 3 39 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Crack cocaine. 255 261 206 28 - 1 26 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug: Heroin. 4,664 4,628 416 1,428 1 1,335 1,448 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Heroin. 1,144 1,138 877 136 3 6 116 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : Heroin. 1,178 1,159 829 149 - 4 177 
			  Total 33,130 32,840 5,027 7,788 5 11,617 8,403 
			 (1) These data are on the principal-offence basis (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The 'total sentenced' column may exceed the 'found guilty' column, as it may be the case that a defendant was found guilty in one year and sentenced in the following year. (4) Excludes Drug Treatment and Testing Order which is given separately. (5) Following a pilot study, rolled out across England and Wales from October 2000. (6) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (7) Cannabis was re-classified to a class C drug in January 2004. Re-classification to class B was made in January 2009. n/a not available.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit

Prisoners: Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was allocated for prison food on average per prisoner per day in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: For the current financial year the National Offender Management Service introduced a benchmark of £2.10 food costs per prisoner per day. Many establishments already operate below this level and provide acceptable meals. Those operating above the benchmark are working towards reducing their costs with appropriate support.
	Evidence and experience has proven that acceptable healthy meals can be provided in prisons within this level of funding by carefully managing menu content and using key messages from the Department of Health about promoting a healthy diet.
	The average public sector Prison Service daily food cost per prisoner includes all food and beverage requirements. Prisons provide breakfast, midday and evening meal and a supper snack together with all condiments and beverages.
	Menu requirements vary between establishments and are based on the prisoner population, local regimes and seasonal availability.

Prisoners: Suicide

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanism is in place to assess the compliance of prison establishments with suicide watch monitoring standards.

Claire Ward: The National Offender Management Service's (NOMS') Standards Audit provides assurance to the Director General and senior managers on the management of risk throughout the service. This is done through objective measurement of performance against standards in establishments and courts. This process supports continuous improvement and informs the issue and review of standards, the dissemination of good practice and implementation of policy.
	The standards which establishments are required to meet are specified in Performance Standard 60, Suicide and Self Harm Reduction. Auditing of establishments' performance against Standard 60 is carried out independently by NOMS' Standards Audit.
	NOMS has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This requires proactively identifying prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. At-risk prisoners are cared for using Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures.

Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children born in custody were subsequently taken away from their mothers while in custody in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Figures on the number of children born and subsequently separated from their mother while in custody are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Mothers who have their children with them in custody will be located in a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). Babies can remain with their mothers in an MBU up to the age of 18 months, and a condition of admission to an MBU is that a separation plan is agreed between the mother and the care team. The child will leave the MBU when it is considered to be in their best interest. Ideally the process of separation will be voluntary, gradually staged and, wherever possible, conducted over a period of time known and clearly understood by all parties involved. The desirable scenario is that a mother and child will leave an MBU together when the mother is released from prison.
	Not all mothers who give birth in custody keep their children with them. This may be because Social Services have made the decision in the child's best interests that mother and child should be separated at birth, or because the mother has decided that the child should be cared for by a relative or friend. It may also be because the mother has been refused a place on an MBU, and if this is the case the application process will have involved Social Services and liaison will be maintained with them and the family in determining the future care of the child.

Remand in Custody

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were remanded in custody in each of the last five years.
	(2)  how many people have been given bail by the courts in each year since 2006.
	(3)  what proportion of requests for remand made by the Crown Prosecution Service were granted by the courts in the latest period for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: The estimated number of persons remanded in custody at all courts in England and Wales in each year throughout the period 2003-07 (latest available) is shown in the table following table.
	The estimated number of persons granted bail by all magistrates' courts and the Crown court in England and Wales during 2006 and 2007 (latest available) was and 493,800 and 485,200 respectively.
	During 2007, an estimated four percent of all defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and the Crown Court were remanded in custody at some point during proceedings. Remands data held on the Office for Criminal Justice Reform Court Proceedings Database do not include information on the reasons for remanding a defendant in custody and do not identify the entity responsible for bringing the prosecution.
	These figures are taken from data on the use of court bail and remand presented in Chapter 4 of the publication Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 2003 to 2007 and include those also held in custody for some but not the whole period of the proceedings. Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  The estimated numbers( 1) of persons remanded in custody at magistrates' courts or the Crown Court( 2) , England and Wales, 2003-07 
			   Thousand 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Number of persons remanded in custody(3) 106.7 907 82.2 76.7 74.5 
			 (1) Includes estimates for those offences omitted from data supplied. (2) Crown Court cases are not necessarily concluded in the same year as the committal therefore the figures presented may include cases where defendants were remanded in custody during earlier years than under which they are presented in this table. (3) Includes those remanded for part of the time in custody and part on bail.  Notes: 1. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 2. For Magistrates' courts cases, the number of remands and more importantly, the number which are in custody, are believed to be under-recorded in total. The extent of under-recording is not known, as only limited checks are available with independently collected data. However, it is clear that the breakdown of remands into bail and custody cases is not accurate for a number of forces. The accuracy of data about Crown Court remand decisions has improved as a result of data being returned directly from the Crown Court computer system.  Source: OCJR Court proceedings Database.

Trafigura: Injunctions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Prime Minister's Answer of 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 204, what steps he plans to take to assess the implications of the injunction obtained in the High Court by Trafigura in the case listed as (1) RJW (2) SJW-and-(1) The Guardian (2) Persons unknown for  (a) parliamentary privilege,  (b) investigative reporting and  (c) legislative safeguards for whistleblowers.

Jack Straw: I have asked senior officials at the Ministry of Justice to meet representatives of the national press and to consult the judiciary to assess the situation. I will then consider the situation in the light of these discussions and will make a statement in due course.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Construction: Procurement

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many contracts for construction works his Department has put out to tender and then withdrawn in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: This Department and its predecessors have not withdrawn any contracts for construction works put out to tender during the period covered by the question.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much it cost to establish his Department following the machinery of government changes in June 2009.

Patrick McFadden: The costs of the merger to date are £160,000, primarily on changes to accommodation and building signage, offset by savings from removing duplication.

Higher Education: Admissions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged  (a) 21 years and under and  (b) over 21 years old in each socio-economic group resident in (i) Twickenham constituency, (ii) Richmond-upon-Thames, (iii) London and (iv) England attended university in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is shown in tables 1 to 4. The figures are for full-time undergraduate entrants as socio-economic class information is not available for part-time higher education students.
	Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-time undergraduate entrants( 1)  from Twickenham parliamentary constituency by age and socio-economic classification( 2) , UK higher education institutions, academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Socio-economic classification 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupation 170 10 205 10 185 5 185 5 205 5 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 155 20 205 20 200 10 195 15 230 15 
			 Intermediate occupations 90 10 80 10 85 10 85 10 95 15 
			 Small employers and own account workers 25 0 40 0 35 5 30 0 40 5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10 0 20 0 15 0 10 0 20 0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 35 10 40 10 45 10 35 15 55 5 
			 Routine occupations 10 0 10 5 15 5 10 5 10 5 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 495 50 600 55 585 45 550 55 655 50 
			 Missing(4) 110 90 120 80 200 85 170 80 150 115 
			 (1 )The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2 )This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3 )Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students. Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4 )Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum totals.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Full-time undergraduate entrants(1) from Richmond Upon Thames local authority area by age and socio-economic classification(2), UK higher education institutions, academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Socio-economic classification 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupation 320 10 350 15 325 15 320 10 370 15 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 285 40 335 35 330 20 325 25 370 30 
			 Intermediate occupations 140 15 130 20 130 20 130 15 140 25 
			 Small employers and own account workers 50 5 55 0 55 5 45 5 60 10 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 20 0 25 0 20 0 15 0 25 0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 55 15 55 15 70 15 50 20 90 25 
			 Routine occupations 20 5 15 5 25 10 15 10 20 5 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 885 95 960 90 955 85 905 90 1,070 100 
			 Missing(4) 185 155 205 165 310 150 260 150 230 200 
			 (1 )The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2 )This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3 )Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students. Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4 )Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum totals.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Full-time undergraduate entrants(1) domiciled in Greater London by age and socio-economic classification(2), UK higher education institutions, academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Socio-economic classification 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupation 6,595 450 10,125 335 10,140 370 9,690 275 10,695 345 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 8,520 1,350 10,750 925 10,780 910 10,155 775 10,730 865 
			 Intermediate occupations 4,550 1,130 4,520 745 4,595 800 4,200 635 4,475 750 
			 Small employers and own account workers 2,265 225 2,075 150 2,095 165 2,095 165 2,250 205 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1,215 95 1,395 110 1,545 95 1,505 105 1,490 100 
			 Semi-routine occupations 3,850 1,230 2,730 795 3,035 910 2,885 815 3,200 1,035 
			 Routine occupations 1,325 270 945 190 1,095 225 1,140 255 1,165 270 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 10 10 20 5 15 10 10 10 25 10 
			 Total 28,335 4,760 32,560 3,255 33,310 3,485 31,680 3,040 34,035 3,575 
			 Missing(4) 12,145 11,420 7,560 6,330 9,980 6,090 8,495 6,235 8,735 6,185 
			 (1 )The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2 )This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3 )Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students. Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4 )Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum totals.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Full-time undergraduate entrants(1) domiciled in England by age and socio-economic classification(2), UK higher education institutions, academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Socio-economic classification 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 21 and under Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupation 45,215 1,905 45,400 1,725 45,735 1,955 44,625 1,635 48,435 1,790 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 57,135 5,800 58,895 5,640 60,395 6,400 57,855 5,265 60,635 5,660 
			 Intermediate occupations 24,715 5,395 25,370 4,990 26,295 5,520 24,885 4,385 26,285 5,105 
			 Small employers and own account workers 13,185 1,045 13,425 895 13,965 1,155 14,260 890 14,870 1,090 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 9,355 600 9,000 575 9,630 750 9,310 560 9,605 725 
			 Semi-routine occupations 20,210 5,470 20,260 5,260 22,505 6,155 22,085 5,585 24,065 6,845 
			 Routine occupations 9,270 1,700 9,165 1,515 9,975 1,865 10,340 1,820 10,840 2,175 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 120 35 110 30 165 100 155 60 635 350 
			 Total 179,210 21,945 181,630 20,625 188,665 23,895 183,515 20,200 195,370 23,740 
			 Missing(4) 54,980 46,725 56,710 47,855 66,745 46,515 60,780 44,570 62,010 45,630 
			 (1 )The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2 )This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3 )Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students. Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4 )Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum totals.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: East of England

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged  (a) 21 years and under and  (b) over 21 years old in each socio-economic group resident in (i) West Suffolk constituency, (ii) Suffolk and (iii) the East of England attended university in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is shown in Tables 1 to 3. The figures are shown for full-time undergraduate entrants as socio-economic class (SEC) information is not available for part-time higher education students. Figures are provided for entrants aged under 21, and 21 and over as the socio-economic class data have a different basis for these two distinct age groups. Socio-economic class is based on occupation information: those aged under 21 provide their parent's occupation, and those aged 21 and over provide their own occupation.
	Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-t ime undergraduate entrants from West Suffolk parliamentary constituency( 1) - UK  h igher education institutions( 2) : Academic years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Socio economic classification Under 21 21 and over Under 21 21 and over Under 21 21 and over Under 21 21 and over Under 21 21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 55 5 50 5 50 0 55 5 55 0 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 55 5 80 5 70 5 85 0 100 15 
			 Intermediate occupations 30 5 25 5 35 5 30 5 45 10 
			 Small employers and own account workers 10 0 20 0 30 0 20 0 20 0 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10 0 15 0 15 0 20 0 20 0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 20 5 30 5 30 10 30 5 35 5 
			 Routine occupations 5 0 15 5 15 0 15 0 20 10 
			 Missing(3) 60 40 50 55 65 55 70 35 85 30 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose constituency cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note :  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Full-time undergraduate entrants from Suffolk local authority( 1) -UK higher education institutions( 2) : Academic years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Socioeconomic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 530 20 515 25 565 20 550 20 665 25 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 645 45 725 35 745 40 740 35 855 100 
			 Intermediate occupations 245 35 265 30 285 35 255 30 340 70 
			 Small employers and own account workers 140 10 160 10 170 15 190 10 200 20 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 105 5 105 10 115 5 95 5 165 20 
			 Semi-routine occupations 165 30 185 30 195 45 205 45 275 80 
			 Routine occupations 90 15 120 10 90 20 105 15 170 55 
			 Missing(3) 430 315 420 330 570 285 480 285 655 375 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose local authority cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note :  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Full-time undergraduate entrants from East Government Office Region( 1) -UK higher education institutions( 2) : Academic years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Socioeconomic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 4,230 225 5,375 265 5,470 275 5,230 245 6,040 165 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 5,970 715 6,110 535 6,305 635 6,050 575 6,905 530 
			 Intermediate occupations 2,195 575 2,510 480 2,735 500 2,515 400 2,850 400 
			 Small employers and own account workers 1,370 135 1,360 105 1,460 120 1,425 105 1,615 95 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1,115 90 885 85 925 75 930 70 1,090 60 
			 Semi-routine occupations 2,280 745 1,700 440 1,905 595 1,845 500 2,165 575 
			 Routine occupations 1,375 280 745 130 765 180 875 185 985 190 
			 Missing(3) 5,285 5,545 4,495 4,780 5,315 4,580 4,805 4,245 6,010 4,090 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose Government office region cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note :  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Student Numbers

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the 10,000 additional student places available in 2010-11 have  (a) already been assigned to existing initiatives and  (b) been reserved for (i) strategically important and (ii) vulnerable subjects.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated 7,604 (full-time equivalent) additional student numbers (ASN) for 2010-11 to institutions to support existing initiatives such as those supported by the Strategic Development Fund. This allocation protects and enhances existing projects already being funded by the council. The remainder are the subject of a bidding process. The priorities for these places are Strategic and Vulnerable Subjects, and Health. The balance between the two groups is not yet known.

Internet

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of internet users in each local authority area whose internet access is via  (a) dial-up modem,  (b) asymmetrical digital subscriber line and  (c) cable in 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 27 October 2009
	This Department has made no estimation of the proportion of internet users in each local authority area whose internet access is via  (a) dial-up modem,  (b) asymmetrical digital subscriber line and  (c) cable in 2008-09. However, figures from Ofcom indicate that in Q1 2009, 70 per cent. of UK homes had connection to internet, with 65 per cent. having fixed broadband connection. Cable connections constituted 21.5 per cent. of fixed broadband connections, with 5 per cent. of total internet connections being through dial-up modem, mobile broadband, satellite and ISDN lines.

National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills: Thurrock

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made during the summer recess on securing the funding package for the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills in Thurrock; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: My officials have been working with officials from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) over the summer to secure a way forward for this and other National Skills Academy capital proposals. On 9 September, Geoff Russell, Acting Chief Executive of the LSC, wrote to all National Skills Academies, setting out a process for taking capital proposals forward. Since then, the NSA Creative and Cultural proposal was approved by the LSC Regional Committee on 14 October and is due to be assessed by the LSC's national Capital Committee on 2 November; if successful, it would then be able to proceed to implementation.
	I and colleagues from the Department for Communities and Local Government believe that the NSA Creative and Cultural has a key role to play in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway through transforming the delivery of skills to meet business needs in this important sector. It will play a valuable role in the development of technician skills in the Performing Arts in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics and will provide a centre of excellence in these skills not available elsewhere.

National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills: Thurrock

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the funding provision for the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills in Thurrock; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: I can confirm that I had representations from my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr. Malik) during the summer recess in relation to the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural.
	I and colleagues from the Department for Communities and Local Government believe that the NSA Creative and Cultural has a key role to play in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway through transforming the delivery of skills to meet business needs in this important sector. It will be playing a valuable role in the development of technician skills in the Performing Arts in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and will provide a centre of excellence in these skills not available elsewhere.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Patrick McFadden: The following non-departmental public bodies have sent representatives to the political party conferences listed in the following table:
	
		
			  RDA  Liberal Democrat party conference 2009  Labour party conference 2009  Conservative party conference 2009 
			 Hearing Aid Council Yes Yes Yes 
			 Consumer Focus Yes Yes Yes 
			 Construction Industry Training Board Yes Yes Yes 
			 UK Commission for Employment and Skills Yes Yes Yes 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Yes Yes Yes 
			 Design Council Yes Yes Yes 
			 NESTA Yes Yes Yes and also the SNP 
			 East Midland Development Agency Yes Yes Yes 
			 North West Development Agency Yes Yes Yes 
			 South East England Development Agency Yes Yes Yes 
			 South West Regional Development Agency Yes Yes Yes 
			 Yorkshire Forward Yes Yes Yes

Public Sector: Construction

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to facilitate the tendering of public sector contracts for construction works.

Patrick McFadden: This Department sponsors Constructionline, which is a pre-qualification database of construction contractors to be used by public sector buyers when looking for potential tenderers for construction works. Further information on this can be found on our web site at:
	www.constructionline.co.uk

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of industrial action at Royal Mail in 2009 to date.

Patrick McFadden: It is clear that postal disruption will have an impact on those businesses and services that heavily rely on Royal Mail services.
	We continue to maintain regular contact with both the management and the union about the dispute. Our message to them is that, in the interests of Royal Mail, the CWU's members and the country, they should sit down and resolve this dispute through talks.

Vetting

Michael Clapham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to publish regulations to outlaw blacklisting; if he will ensure that they  (a) make it unlawful for companies to provide information to be used for the compilation of blacklists and  (b) establish the right to damages for those named on any such lists; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have received 52 responses to this summer's consultation on draft regulations. Many points for consideration were raised, but it firmly remains our intention to finalise the regulations as speedily as possible. The draft regulations published in the consultation already make it unlawful for a party to compile a list and they contain provisions for those suffering a loss to claim compensation for the damage inflicted.

HEALTH

Bolton and Wigan Primary Care Trust: Managers

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of senior managers  (a) employed by Bolton and Wigan primary care trust and  (b) who were employed by Bolton and Wigan strategic health authority in its final year of existence.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Bolton Primary Care Trust: Public Relations

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of the management costs of Bolton Primary Care Trust spent on public relations activities in the latest period for which information is available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Care Homes: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of care homes did not meet the National Minimum Standard for Care Homes in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that, when inspecting care homes against the National Minimum Standards (NMS), the CQC rates their performance using a four point system:
	standard not met with major shortfalls
	standard not met with minor shortfalls
	standard met
	standard exceeded
	The tables show ratings against the NMS by number and percentage of care homes for younger adults and older people for the year ending 31 March 2009-the latest year for which information is available.
	
		
			  Score against NMS for care homes for younger adults as at 31 March 2009 
			Standard not met with major shortfalls  Standard not met with minor shortfalls  Standard met  Standard exceeded 
			  NMS   N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores 
			 1 Information 94 1 1,301 19 5,172 75 375 5 
			 2 Needs assessment 55 1 427 6 6,244 84 745 10 
			 3 Meeting needs 117 2 556 9 5,301 84 349 6 
			 4 Introductory visits 28 0 179 3 5,802 90 412 6 
			 5 Contract 155 2 1,067 17 5,048 79 140 2 
			 6 Service user plan 107 1 1,397 19 4,778 64 1,227 16 
			 7 Decision making 35 0 542 7 5,881 78 1,047 14 
			 8 Participation 52 1 486 8 5,235 83 554 9 
			 9 Risk taking 81 1 962 13 5,691 76 769 10 
			 10 Confidentiality 50 1 489 8 5,371 89 109 2 
			 11 Personal development 50 1 421 7 5,084 81 723 12 
			 12 Education and occupation 35 0 467 6 5,669 76 1,332 18 
			 13 Community links and social inclusion 26 0 404 5 5,915 79 1,158 15 
			 14 Leisure 61 1 680 10 4,895 73 1,066 16 
			 15 Relationships 4 0 133 2 6,547 87 816 11 
			 16 Daily routines 26 0 351 5 6,095 81 1,021 14 
			 17 Meals and mealtimes 25 0 462 6 6,200 83 809 11 
			 18 Personal support 32 0 366 5 6,121 82 986 13 
			 19 Healthcare 54 1 571 8 5,916 79 966 13 
			 20 Medication 130 2 1,591 21 5,467 73 319 4 
			 21 Ageing and death 70 1 628 11 4,664 83 261 5 
			 22 Concerns and complaints 40 1 526 7 6,530 87 417 6 
			 23 Protection 117 2 922 12 6,146 82 328 4 
			 24 Premises 156 2 1,612 21 4,968 66 786 10 
			 25 Space requirements 51 1 430 7 5,531 86 427 7 
			 26 Furniture and fittings 74 1 806 12 5,193 80 399 6 
			 27 Toilets and bathrooms 147 2 1,006 16 4,977 78 290 5 
			 28 Shared space 59 1 679 11 5,267 82 397 6 
			 29 Adaptations and equipment 77 1 592 10 5,050 85 220 4 
			 30 Hygiene and control of infection 55 1 670 9 6,301 84 490 7 
			 31 Roles 72 1 419 7 5,397 90 133 2 
			 32 Qualities and qualifications 62 1 893 12 5,630 75 889 12 
			 33 Staff team 181 3 1,333 20 4,845 72 346 5 
			 34 Recruitment 193 3 1,102 15 5,814 78 344 5 
			 35 Training and development 95 1 1,220 16 5,485 73 671 9 
			 36 Supervision and support 143 2 1,148 17 5,047 76 324 5 
			 37 Day to day operations 103 1 1,066 14 5,328 71 1,012 13 
			 38 Ethos 93 1 430 7 4,933 80 747 12 
			 39 Quality assurance 132 2 1,352 18 5,291 71 720 10 
			 40 Policies and procedures 90 1 1,141 19 4,678 78 104 2 
			 41 Record keeping 208 3 1,511 25 4,275 70 146 2 
			 42 Safe working practices 129 2 1,428 19 5,617 75 335 4 
			 43 Conduct of the service 171 3 917 16 4,533 79 93 2 
			  Note: Figures are based on the most recent score for each standard as at 31 March. The year shown is not necessarily the year of inspection - not every standard is inspected against every year and not every service is inspected annually.  Source: CQC database 
		
	
	
		
			  Score against NMS for care homes for older people as at 31 March 2009 
			Standard not met with major shortfalls  Standard not met with minor shortfalls  Standard met  Standard exceeded 
			  NMS   N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores  N o.  of services  %  of all scores 
			 1 Information 161 2 1,504 15 7,621 78 444 5 
			 2 Contract 123 1 1,099 12 7,684 85 126 1 
			 3 Needs assessment 112 1 871 8 8,667 84 728 7 
			 4 Meeting needs 254 3 1,059 12 7,057 81 376 4 
			 5 Trial visits 16 0 197 2 8,272 95 250 3 
			 6 Intermediate care 77 4 160 7 1,841 84 104 5 
			 7 Service user plan 269 3 2,990 29 6,259 60 892 9 
			 8 Healthcare 168 2 1,338 13 7,934 76 968 9 
			 9 Medication 397 4 2,752 26 6,973 67 286 3 
			 10 Privacy and dignity 85 1 762 7 8,568 82 988 9 
			 11 Dying and death 58 1 826 10 6,941 83 489 6 
			 12 Social contact and activities 171 2 1,906 18 6,585 63 1,749 17 
			 13 Community contact 18 0 230 2 9,150 88 1,008 10 
			 14 Autonomy and choice 64 1 685 7 8,751 84 899 9 
			 15 Meals and mealtimes 73 1 1,039 10 7,818 75 1,481 14 
			 16 Complaints 92 1 754 7 9,133 88 432 4 
			 17 Rights 40 1 280 4 7,571 95 66 1 
			 18 Protection 199 2 1,293 12 8,629 83 286 3 
			 19 Premises 198 2 2,117 20 6,867 66 1,227 12 
			 20 Shared facilities 107 1 984 11 7,205 80 689 8 
			 21 Lavatories and washing facilities 223 2 1,623 18 6,715 75 410 5 
			 22 Adaptations and equipment 192 2 1,632 18 6,737 76 293 3 
			 23 Space requirements 48 1 569 7 7,573 88 450 5 
			 24 Furniture and fittings 131 1 1,461 16 6,973 76 576 6 
			 25 Heating and lighting 301 3 1,802 20 6,527 73 291 3 
			 26 Hygiene and infection control 147 1 1,413 14 7,918 76 926 9 
			 27 Staff complement 208 2 1,412 14 8,228 79 558 5 
			 28 Qualifications 102 1 1,154 11 7,660 74 1,453 14 
			 29 Recruitment 359 3 1,779 17 7,903 76 356 3 
			 30 Staff training 183 2 1,782 17 7,507 72 928 9 
			 31 Day to day operations 221 2 1,521 15 7,252 70 1,403 13 
			 32 Ethos 199 2 822 9 6,691 76 1,037 12 
			 33 Quality assurance 243 2 1,808 17 7,375 71 965 9 
			 34 Financial procedures 164 2 697 9 6,795 88 76 1 
			 35 Service user money 57 1 535 5 9,442 92 214 2 
			 36 Staff supervision 438 5 2,297 25 6,403 69 207 2 
			 37 Record keeping 415 5 2,494 29 5,617 65 158 2 
			 38 Safe working practices 272 3 2,214 21 7,460 72 462 4 
			  Note: Figures are based on the most recent score for each standard as at 31 March. The year shown is not necessarily the year of inspection - not every standard is inspected against every year and not every service is inspected annually.  Source: CQC database

Dental Services: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms on NHS general dental services in York in each year since 1996-97.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Since 2006-07, data on primary dental care expenditure can be derived from primary care trust (PCT) accounts. Expenditure on primary dental care services in the North Yorkshire and York PCT in the last three years is shown in the following table. The PCT's accounts do not separately distinguish between expenditure in North Yorkshire, and York City.
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure type  Gross expenditure (£000)  Dental charges paid by patients (£000)  Net expenditure (£000) 
			 2006-07 Actual 32,165 8,875 23,290 
			  At 2008-09 prices 33,906 9,355 24,551 
			  
			 2007-08 actual 32,089 8,879 23,210 
			  At 2008-09 prices 32,876 9,097 23,779 
			  
			 2008-09 Actual 39,241 10,358 28,883 
			  Notes: 1. As the data reflect the contract framework for primary dental care services introduced from 1 April 2006, it includes all relevant service costs, and is based on the PCT areas introduced from 1 October 2006, it is not directly comparable with the available pre-2006 data. 2. Actual expenditure figures have been converted into 2008-09 prices using the gross domestic product deflator index as at 29 September 2009.  Source: Calculated from details of gross primary dental care expenditure, and income from dental charges, recorded in the notes to the PCT's accounts. 
		
	
	Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former general dental service (GDS) arrangements. These were demand-led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice and how much national health service work they chose to undertake.
	The Information Centre for health and social care holds local-level information on the expenditure for NHS primary dental care under the former GDS and personal dental service arrangements. The Information Centre for health and social care published the following report on 26 March 2008: 'NHS Expenditure for General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services: England 1997/98 - 2005/06'. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalexpend1997to2006
	The report includes information on primary dental care expenditure in cash terms by parliamentary constituency for 1997-98 to 2005-06 in Tables A3 and B3 of Annex 3. Further notes to aid interpretation of the information are shown in the 'Contents and Notes' page of Annex 3.

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Phil Hope: The Department uses a number of companies for different mail delivery services.
	External mail is collected and delivered by Royal Mail. This is an on-going rolling arrangement.
	For urgent deliveries of documents and for deliveries between buildings alternative suppliers are used. These are:
	Urgent motorcycle or van deliveries by Point to Point under contract to April 2011;
	and
	Inter-Office deliveries by arrangement with Government mail services operated by Government Car and Despatch Agency, a part of Department for Transport. This is subject to an annual service level agreement renewable each October.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department's Communications Directorate 0800 helpline numbers are accredited, when it is considered appropriate, with The Helplines Association via the Central Office of Information who manage them on our behalf.
	Information on any other telephone services that may be run on behalf of the Department is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

East of England Strategic Health Authority: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of running the East of England Strategic Health Authority was in each year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: Figures published in the East of England Strategic Health Authority's (SHA's) annual reports show the following total management costs:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 15.719 
			 2006-07 30.577 
			 2007-08 12.373 
			 2008-09 13.636 
		
	
	It should be noted that the 2005-06 figures are the combined management costs of three distinct SHAs: (i) Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, (ii) Essex, and (iii) Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, which officially merged to form the East of England SHA in July 2006. The 2006-07 management costs reflect non-recurring costs involved in the merger of the three existing SHAs into a unitary body in July 2006.

General Practitioners: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners were providing NHS services in Leeds West constituency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of general practitioners (GPs) excluding retainers and registrars for Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 30 September 2008.
	
		
			   Number of GPs 
			 Leeds PCT 518 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are not available at constituency level. Leeds West is contained within and served by Leeds PCT. 2. Data include all GPs who were attached to an active GP Practice on 30 September 2008. The annual GP census does not contain data on NHS walk-in centres, asylum seeker and refugee health centres or homeless shelters, where GPs may also be practising on a part-time or locum basis. 3. GP Locums are not included in the data. 4. Work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 national health service trusts and PCTs in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care-general and personal medical services statistics

Health Services: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there have been  (a) in total and  (b) in each speciality at York Hospitals NHS Trust in each year since 1996-97.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes there have been in total and in each main speciality at York Hospitals NHS Trust (RCB) from 1996-97 to 2007-09 activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Main speciality description  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01  1999-2000  1998-99  1997-98  1996-97 
			 Total 78,310 80,936 81,586 75,531 69,699 64,015 63,032 61,827 61,758 64,367 60,536 60,404 
			 General surgery 9,880 10,102 9,512 8,972 8,727 8,034 7,440 7,493 7,620 7,618 6,929 7,290 
			 Urology 6,155 6,434 6,244 5,326 5,345 4,817 4,719 4,860 4,432 4,441 4,319 4,390 
			 Trauma and Orthopaedics 4,277 4,887 5,371 5,548 5,566 5,158 4,649 4,660 4,468 4,560 4,274 4,375 
			 Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) 2,039 2,111 2,181 2,075 2,041 2,050 2,301 2,193 2,166 2,134 1,833 2,211 
			 Ophthalmology 3,290 3,258 3,509 3,134 2,534 2,290 2,272 2,253 2,288 2,175 1,885 1,923 
			 Oral surgery 1,702 1,756 1,574 1,491 1,409 1,354 1,223 1,244 1,368 1,351 1,268 1,215 
			 Restorative Dentistry - - - - - - 339 336 333 364 397 422 
			 Plastic surgery - - - - - * - - - - - - 
			 Cardiothoracic Surgery - - - - - - - - - * - - 
			 Accident and Emergency 1,568 1,546 1,693 356 7 29 * - 134 460 731 1,361 
			 Anaesthetics 1,946 2,043 2,018 1,900 1,879 1,882 1,918 1,906 2,292 2,469 2,345 1,174 
			 General Medicine 17,656 19,276 20,389 18,003 16,536 15,561 14,076 12,888 12,002 11,592 10,961 10,604 
			 Haematology (clinical) 917 1,650 1,206 991 684 667 824 938 1,391 1,310 1,043 814 
			 Dermatology 29 * * 49 62 75 103 127 148 170 113 132 
			 Genito-urinary medicine - - - - * - - - - - * - 
			 Medical oncology 459 221 225 166 165 190 269 348 126 * * - 
			 Neurology 409 453 468 508 670 520 510 429 397 404 409 441 
			 Clinical Neurophysiology - * - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Rheumatology 828 753 568 233 256 172 184 190 265 318 351 290 
			 Paediatrics 7,075 7,080 4,835 4,898 4,651 4,124 4,158 3,908 4,168 3,741 3,321 3,291 
			 Geriatric medicine 10,089 9,501 9,193 9,316 7,756 6,160 5,448 5,216 5,021 5,254 4,561 4,311 
			 Obstetrics 4,265 4,055 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Gynaecology 3,295 3,384 9,199 10,664 9,738 9,310 9,463 9,312 9,306 13,257 13,471 13,572 
			 Midwife episode 1,996 1,855 2,998 - - - - - - - - - 
			 General Medical Practice - - - 1,687 - - - - - - - - 
			 General practice with maternity function(1) - - - - 1,631 1,581 1,359 1,648 1,737 493 125 201 
			 General Practice other than maternity(1) - - - - - - 370 411 437 480 522 519 
			 Mental Handicap - - - - - - * 35 * 38 42 76 
			 Mental Illness - - - - - - 614 686 694 904 874 993 
			 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - - - - - - 53 50 48 42 44 53 
			 Old Age Psychiatry - - - - - - 612 616 685 663 643 677 
			 Clinical oncology (previously Radiotherapy) - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Radiology - * * - * * - - * * - - 
			 Chemical Pathology 435 544 376 214 40 38 80 80 190 121 72 * 
			 Histopathology - - - - - - - - * - - - 
			 (1) These fields were only available up to 2003-04.  Note: To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Hospitals: Food

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what surveys of patient satisfaction with hospital food the NHS has undertaken in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what recent progress his Department has made in improving the quality of food served in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: National health service acute trusts have undertaken the Care Quality Commission's annual in-patient survey of patients (2008), which includes questions relating to patients' rating of the food, whether they were offered a choice and whether they received help to eat meals. The most recent survey (2008 national adult inpatients survey [published May 2009]) results show a positive improvement in patient satisfaction with hospital food, i.e. a two-percentage point increase in food rated very good, and a fall in the number who rate the food as poor. Also, it shows a three-percentage point increase in patients stating that they always received enough help from staff to eat meals. The Care Quality Commission's mental health acute inpatient service users' survey (2009), also asks respondents how they rate the hospital food.
	The importance of good quality food for patients is recognised both in terms of improving their health and in relation to their overall experience of services.
	The Better Hospital Food programme focused on ensuring the consistent delivery of high quality food and food services to patients and its key outputs include best practice guidance and detailed information to support the delivery of food in the NHS. Although the Better Hospital Food programme has now closed, the resource is still available via the Hospital Caterers' Association website:
	www.hospitalcaterers.org
	The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), is also working with stakeholders in the development of a toolkit to assist NHS organisations in the implementation of the 10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care. The factsheets support good nutritional care and were published by the NPSA earlier this year.

Hospitals: Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated in NHS hospitals for food on average per in-patient per day in the last 12 months.

Mike O'Brien: There is no national health service daily allocation as such so this information is not collected in the precise format requested. However, information provided to the Department shows that in 2008-09 the average cost of feeding one patient per day was £7.53.
	This cost relates to the average daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages fed to one patient per day, across all NHS trusts in England. The cost should include all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance.
	The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Kidney Patients: Dialysis Machines

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a system to ensure that NHS patients requiring kidney dialysis may receive dialysis through the NHS while staying temporarily outside their primary health care area in the UK without additional charge.

Ann Keen: The National Service Framework for Renal Services emphasised that for reasons such as work, education, holidays and family visits, it is important that patients can dialyse away from home. We are working with specialised renal commissioners to identify ways in which we can improve the availability of dialysis for patients away from home.
	The introduction of a standard tariff for dialysis, initially on a non-mandatory basis, will help to reduce the variations in the charges for people who wish to dialyse away from home.

Mental Health Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any NHS counselling services have been discontinued as a result of the implementation of his Department's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme.

Phil Hope: Primary care trust (PCT) commissioners are responsible for assessing local need and deciding the types and amounts of various national health service psychological therapy services required in their area.
	However, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme envisages a long term need for counselling services and has, therefore, not issued guidance encouraging decommissioning of counselling services or recommending that counsellors should retrain.
	The funding committed for IAPT services by the Government is in addition to those counselling and talking therapy services locally funded and delivered. Some PCTs have moved to invest further in IAPT services and to use IAPT as a method of broadening the range of therapies offered to local people.

Mental Health Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS counselling services during the economic downturn.

Phil Hope: In March 2009 a package of measures to help people who are experiencing emotional problems linked to employment or debt issues linked to the downturn was announced by the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Specifically the aim was to help people overcome the negative psychological impact of job loss or debt, so that they can better tackle their financial issues. The package also included greater provision of talking therapies and a new network of employment support workers.
	Investment of an extra £13 million has been made available to fund:
	a faster roll-out of talking therapy services around the country throughout 2009 with services beginning to be available in every area by 2010;
	employment support workers linked to every talking therapy services, providing job support for people with common mental health problems to help people back to work;
	health advisers on a dedicated NHS Direct phone line being trained to spot people who might be experiencing depression because of economic problems and refer them to help; and
	better online advice and information about the availability of services near to people's homes through NHS Choices.

Mental Health Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timescale his Department proposes for the introduction of statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists.

Ann Keen: The Health Professions Council (HPC) has recently been consulting on its proposals for the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. It is envisaged that the HPC will deliver its recommendations to the Government by the end of this year. Following this, the Government will consider next steps, including timescales. Full consideration will be given to the outcome of the HPC consultation in taking forward any proposals for regulation.

NHS Connecting for Health: Marketing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) public relations for Connecting for Health in the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: Expenditure information for the last five financial years is in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Public Relations  Advertising 
			 2004-05 121,737 - 
			 2005-06 1,618 - 
			 2006-07 455,782 3,450 
			 2007-08 1,280,796 2,450 
			 2008-09 88,091 9,675 
			  Note:  Accounting information does not permit differentiation of public relations and press-related expenditure. The figures cover both, and exclude VAT.

NHS: Finance

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of central Government funding to primary care trusts in  (a) Bolton and  (b) England which is spent on management costs.

Mike O'Brien: The management costs of Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT), as published in its 2008-09 audited accounts, represent approximately 1.7 per cent. of its net operating costs. This excludes any management costs incurred by the providers of the health care that is commissioned by the PCT.
	Bolton PCT's main provider is Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NHS foundation trusts have independent status in the national health service and are free from the Department's powers of direction. They are not required to complete information data requests that do not fit with mandatory requirements, which includes management costs.
	The management costs of the NHS organisations that report to the Department represent approximately 3 per cent. of the overall NHS expenditure.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the most recent annual benefits statement for the National Programme for IT; and for what reasons he has not yet published it.

Mike O'Brien: In response to a recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee in its report on the National Programme published in January 2009, the Department has agreed to consider producing an annual report of the Programme's progress against published timetables and expenditure forecasts. Consideration is being given to publication, from 2009-10, of a single document combining the annual report with a restructured statement of the costs and benefits of the programme.

NHS: Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to amend the NHS Pension scheme entitlements of NHS employees on high salaries.

Ann Keen: Pension scheme provisions are kept under review to ensure they are appropriate and sustainable at all levels.

NHS: Procurement

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 126-7W, on NHS procurement, if he will place in the Library a copy of the procurement capability review team's report on his Department.

Mike O'Brien: The report and associated documents are entitled:
	Procurement Capability Review Programme-Department of Health
	Procurement Capability Review Programme Improvement Plan-Department of Health
	OGC Procurement Capability Reviews Tranche Three Overview report
	Copies of these have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Public Holidays

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional expenditure the NHS incurred in ensuring continuous staffing levels  (a) over bank holidays and  (b) over the Christmas period in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Nurses: Pay

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average starting salary of an NHS nurse was in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The average estimated starting salary of an NHS nurse in cash and real terms in 1996-97 and 2008-09, the latest year for which figures are available, is shown in following the table.
	
		
			   Starting salaries  (£) 
			  Qualified nurse  Cash  2008-09 prices 
			 1996-97 11,895 15,470 
			 2008-09 20,225 20,225 
			  Notes:  1. In the context of this answer the term NHS Nurse has been interpreted as a qualified nurse.  2. 1996-97 figures are based on the Whitley D Grade minimum starting salary. Source:  Pay circular 1997-98.  3. Figures have been expressed in 2008-09 prices using the HM Treasury gross domestic product deflator index where appropriate.  4. 2008-09 figure is the Agenda For Change band five minimum salary. This figure is available for 2009-10 (£20,710) but the deflator index is unavailable for comparison in real terms.

Nurses: Pay

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average pay of an NHS nurse was in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The average pay of an NHS nurse in cash and real terms in 1998-99 and 2008-09 the latest year for which figures are available is in the table. No comparable figures are available prior to 1998-99 as this was the first year in which the NHS staff earnings survey was undertaken.
	
		
			   Average earnings (£) 
			  Qualified Nurse  Cash  2008-09 prices 
			 1998-99 19,600 25,000 
			 2008-09 29,900 29,900 
			  Notes:  1. In the context of this answer the term NHS Nurse has been interpreted as a qualified nurse.  2. 1998-99 figures-Source: NHS Earnings Survey 1998-99 (available at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pressreleases/DH_4005045). 3. Figures have been expressed in 2008-09 prices using the HM Treasury gross domestic product deflator index where appropriate.  4. 2008-09 figures-Source: NHS Information Centre NHS Staff Earnings January to March 2009 (available at www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-earnings/nhs-staff-earnings-january-march-2009). The figure for April to June 2009 is available (£30,900) but the deflator index is unavailable for a comparison in real terms.  5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100.

Nurses: Training

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student nurses there are in  (a) England and  (b) Bassetlaw constituency.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected in the manner requested.
	In 2008-09 there were 20,664 nurse training places commissioned for the whole of England. Due to the length of nurse training and attrition rates, this does not give a true picture of the exact number of student nurses currently in training across England and represents only the number of places commissioned for one year.
	It is not possible to report on the number of student nurses in the Bassetlaw constituency.

Nutrition: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request the Care Quality Commission to take account in its work of the findings of the report commissioned by the Healthcare Commission on a scoping exercise to identify priority topics for national audit on the Essence of Care, published by the Royal College of Nursing in February 2008; what the cost was of producing the report; and what steps he is taking to ensure the Care Quality Commission will incorporate the quality of nutritional care in its service reviews.

Mike O'Brien: The Care Quality Commission has informed us that it has taken into account the findings of the scoping work undertaken by the Royal College of Nursing. The findings have been particularly important in considering how the Care Quality Commission will assess compliance with the new registration requirements and in the development of its reviews and studies programme.
	The new registration system will mean that all providers of regulated health and adult social care services will need to register with Care Quality Commission in order to operate. Registered providers will have to comply with specific requirements for hydration and nutrition. The Care Quality Commission will be able to take appropriate action if providers are found not to be compliant. This could include undertaking inspections, issuing warning notices or suspending registration. The Care Quality Commission will issue guidance explaining how providers can meet these requirements.
	The Care Quality Commission has also informed us that it will look at nutrition and hydration issues in any special reviews that it undertakes. For example, this year it is undertaking a review of health care needs in care homes and a study of stroke care pathway. The Care Quality Commission is currently considering whether it needs to undertake a special review into nutrition and hydration.
	The Care Quality Commission has informed us that it is also linked in with the Royal College of Nursing on their Nutrition now campaign and other programmes around improving skills for workforce in this area.
	The scoping exercise by the Royal College of Nursing was commissioned by the Healthcare Commission and the Care Quality Commission does not possess information on the cost of producing the report.

Nutrition: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data the Care Quality Commission plans to use to assess adherence by  (a) NHS trusts,  (b) care homes and  (c) other regulated providers to the registration requirement entitled Making sure people get the nourishment they need.

Mike O'Brien: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has informed us that it is currently developing the methods it will use to implement the new system of registration for health and adult social care providers. It has recently consulted on its guidance about compliance and intends to publish it later this year. It will use information from a range of sources including the CQC's own site visits and information provided by third parties.

Office of the Health Professionals Adjudicator

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Office of the Health Professionals Adjudicator will commence operations.

Ann Keen: The current planning assumptions are that from April 2011, the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator will begin to make decisions on fitness to practise cases brought before it by the General Medical Council and subsequently on a date yet to be confirmed the General Optical Council.

Pain: Health Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent on tackling chronic pain in patients in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Patients: Public Transport

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has considered the effect on patients of  (a) King's College hospital and  (b) South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust of proposed reductions to rail services on the South London Line; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not independently investigated the effect to patients of proposed reductions to rail services on the South London Line. It is the responsibility of Transport for London to ensure that its services adequately meet the needs of the local population.

Patients: Safety

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 230W, on patients: safety, how many nutrition-related adverse incidents have been recorded by the National Patient Safety Agency in each month since it was established.

Ann Keen: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 230W. Information on the number of nutrition-related adverse incidents that have been recorded by the National Patient Safety Agency in each month since it was established in 2001 can still be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Social Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 758W, on social services, whether he proposes that funding for the service will be drawn entirely from his Department's budget; what mechanisms he intends to use to ensure that joined-up services are delivered; and what changes to existing arrangements for delivery of care services he envisages.

Phil Hope: The Green Paper says that we want to build a system that is universal, fair, affordable, clear and helps people to live their lives the way they want to. We need to look at a range of different ways to bring more funding into the care and support system. Exact details of future funding arrangements will depend on which funding option is chosen as the basis of the new Care and Support system.
	The Green Paper set outs three ways in which we might fund a new system:
	partnership-the Government covers some care costs, more if you have a low income;
	insurance-the Government covers some care costs, and helps you take out insurance for the rest, if you want it; and
	comprehensive-everyone over retirement age who can afford it would pay into a state insurance scheme, so that everyone who needs care and support will receive it free. We would look at having a free care and support system for people of working age alongside this.
	The Green Paper states that all the services that you need should work together. People should be able to expect that the professionals who work with them will work together, particularly when needs are assessed. The Government will tackle the obstacles to partners working together nationally so that local services are freer to make their own choices about how they can improve joined-up working. We will develop a coherent strategy centred on patients, care-users and their carers, to support local leaders to make sure that joined-up services are delivered.

Social Services: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have taken up  (a) a direct payment and  (b) an individual budget in each local authority area; and what targets have been set for the take up of each programme in each local authority area.

Phil Hope: Following the end of the Individual budgets pilots project in December 2007, the Department announced a programme to introduce personal budgets which comprise social care funding only. As part of the Welfare Reform Bill, the 'Right to Control' work is building on the learning from the individual budget pilots to take forward the principles of choice and self-directed support through a range of income streams.
	Information on what targets have been set for the take up of direct payments and individual budgets by each local authority is not collected centrally. The available information has been placed in the Library.

Suffolk Primary Care Trust: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by Suffolk Primary Care Trust on salaries and wages for  (a) general and senior managers,  (b) nurses and midwives and  (c) administrative and clerical staff in each year since its creation.

Phil Hope: The following table shows data for 2002-03 to 2008-09, which are the only years for which this information is available by individual organisation. Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) was reconfigured as part of the national restructuring process in October 2006. For 2005-06 and previous financial years, the figures in the table represent the sum of the relevant figures across the four predecessor PCTs-Suffolk Coastal PCT, Ipswich PCT, Central Suffolk PCT and Suffolk West PCT.
	The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. It is not possible separately to identify salaries and wages. Redundancy costs are not included.
	The figures for 'Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Staff' and 'Admin and Clerical Staff' include non-NHS staff, e.g. staff employed via an employment agency.
	Information is from the financial returns for NHS bodies. The data are not audited but are validated to the audited summarisation schedules.
	
		
			  Suffolk Primary Care Trust 2002-03 to 2008-09 
			  £000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Admin and clerical 
			 2008-09 8,014 23,961 6,406 
			 2007-08 7,661 22,434 5,500 
			 2006-07 5,421 23,200 5,288 
			 2005-06 5,461 23,461 5,782 
			 2004-05 5,618 19,860 5,213 
			 2003-04 3,880 16,915 3,878 
			 2002-03 2,425 15,159 3,202 
			  Source: Financial Returns 2002-03 to 2008-09

Swine Flu: Prisoners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners have been diagnosed with swine influenza.

Phil Hope: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) receives from each prison in England and Wales a weekly report on the number of swine flu cases. To date there have been 130 cases confirmed by laboratory analysis since 13 July when data collection began.
	The data shows that NOMS' strategy for managing swine flu in prisons has been effective in preventing the spread of swine flu among prisoners.
	These data have been drawn from administrative information technology systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing returns the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of likely take-up rates of swine influenza vaccine  (a) amongst different age groups,  (b) amongst people with different vulnerabilities to the illness and  (c) by geographic area.

Gillian Merron: The Department has estimated a national uptake rate of 70 per cent. for all the priority at-risk groups, based on the uptake rate of 74 per cent. for seasonal flu vaccine among the over 65s. Based on previous data on seasonal influenza vaccine uptake, there is little reason to believe that there will be significant regional variation in this estimated uptake rate.
	This estimate is for planning purposes only and is not a target. We recommend that all people in the priority groups receive the vaccine.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of each swine influenza vaccination.

Gillian Merron: The swine flu vaccination programme will be administered by general practitioners (GPs) following successful negotiations between the Department, General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association and NHS Employers.
	The deal will mean that GP surgeries will receive £5.25 per dose of vaccine given. This £5.25 payment will pay for the extra staff and non-staff resources that practices will need to vaccinate their at-risk patients. At the same time it will ensure other services provided by the practices do not suffer while practices are vaccinating large numbers of patients. The £5.25 does not include the cost of the vaccine itself. The price we pay for the vaccine is commercially confidential information.

Thalidomide

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has funded research into the potential effectiveness of the use of Thalidomide in the treatment of certain illnesses.

Mike O'Brien: I am told that the Department has not funded research into the effectiveness of thalidomide in the treatment of illnesses.
	Thalidomide was licensed in June 2008 for the treatment of multiple myeloma or for those ineligible for high dose chemotherapy. Thalidomide UK and other stakeholders both here and in Europe were consulted throughout the licensing process and I understand that they have acknowledged the benefits of thalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by  (a) West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust and  (b) Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust on salaries and wages for (i) general and senior managers, (ii) nurses and midwives and (iii) administrative and clerical staff in each year since 1999.

Phil Hope: The following tables show data for 2002-03 to 2008-09, which are the only years for which this information is available by individual organisation.
	The figures provided are for total expenditure on staff and include social security costs, pension contributions and early retirement costs. It is not possible separately to identify salaries and wages. Redundancy costs are not included.
	The figures for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Staff and Admin and Clerical Staff include non-national health service staff-e.g. staff employed via an employment agency.
	Information is from the financial returns for NHS bodies. The data are not audited but is validated to the audited summarisation schedules.
	
		
			  West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust 2002-03 to 2008-09 
			  £000 
			   Managers and senior managers  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff  Admin and clerical 
			 2008-09 2,415 22,735 5,328 
			 2007-08 2,839 25,783 6,077 
			 2006-07 3,730 29,346 6,884 
			 2005-06 3,758 28,731 6,916 
			 2004-05 476 28,765 10,772 
			 2003-04 720 30,279 11,542 
			 2002-03 709 32,963 13,433 
			  Source: Financial returns 2002-03 to 2008-09 
		
	
	
		
			  Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 2003-04 to 2008-09 
			  £000 
			   Managers and  s enior  m anagers  Nursing,  m idwifery and  h ealth  v isiting  s taff  Admin and  c lerical 
			 2008-09 3,758 26,842 8,002 
			 2007-08 4,462 29,826 9,031 
			 2006-07 4,750 34,506 10,568 
			 2005-06 5,786 34,980 11,431 
			 2004-05 5,906 34,425 11,338 
			 2003-04 4,264 35,656 14,361 
			 2002-03 4,477 38,278 15,343 
			  Source: Financial Returns 2002-03 to 2008-09

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Building Regulations: Energy

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to amend building regulations to encourage a reduction in energy consumption through heating and lighting controls.

Ian Austin: Part L of the Building Regulations, 'Conservation of fuel and power', sets minimum energy efficiency standards for buildings and fixed building services, including heating and lighting controls. My Department has recently consulted on proposed amendments to Part L that would strengthen these standards and that are planned to come into effect in October 2010 (see
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/partlf2010consultation)

Buildings: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to local planning authorities in relation to the provisions of  (a) building controls and  (b) planning regulations in respect of the minimum number of (i) male and (ii) female lavatories to be provided in new premises with a use class of (A) A1, (B) A3, (C) A4, (D) C1, (E) D2 and (F) sui generis;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to Baroness Greengross of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns 305-6WA, on building regulations, what minimum levels of provision of  (a) male and  (b) female toilets are required in (i) new licensed premises and (ii) other new non-domestic premises.

Ian Austin: No guidance regarding the number of lavatories to be provided in new buildings has been issued specifically to local planning authorities and planning regulations do not cover this area. However, current Building Regulations, in Part G (Hygiene), require that adequate sanitary conveniences are provided in new buildings. The accompanying guidance contained in Approved Document G draws attention to the fact that the number of appliances may be subject to other legislation, for example, on workplaces, but that British Standard 6465, Part 1: 1984 also provides a basis for showing compliance with the requirement.
	Changes to Part G of the Building Regulations will come into force on 6 April 2010 and draft guidance has been issued. The revised guidance, in reference to buildings other than dwellings, states that the minimum number of sanitary conveniences for staff in workplaces, including separate provision for men and women, should be in accord with the Approved Code of Practice that supports the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The Approved Document also refers to the alternative guidance set out in BS 6465:2006 for those building types not covered by the Approved Code of Practice or in workplaces where the applicant wishes to provide more than that minimum level.
	Our Strategic Guide on Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets (March 2008) provided general guidance to local authorities for managing and improving public toilets. Local authorities have powers under Section 20 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to require toilets to be provided and maintained for public use in any place providing entertainment, exhibitions or sporting events, and places serving food and drink for consumption on the premises, but it is for each authority to determine how these powers should be applied according to the circumstances of each case.

Central Manchester Development Corporation: Archives

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to answer to the hon. Member for Vauxhall of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 809W, on the Central Manchester Development Corporation: archives, who authorised the secure disposal of the records of the Central Manchester Development Corporation; and whether any consideration was given to donating the records to  (a) the municipal records office,  (b) the National Archives or  (c) an educational institution.

Barbara Follett: Further to the answer given on 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 809W, the Government Office for the North West records about the Central Manchester Development Corporation were destroyed in accordance with the disposal agreement approved by the departmental records officer. These records were not considered appropriate for transfer to the National Archives or presentation to another place of deposit under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958.

Central Manchester Development Corporation: Archives

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to answer to the hon. Member for Vauxhall of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 809W, on the Central Manchester Development Corporation: archives, what his Department's policy is on the disposal of  (a) records and  (b) other archived material of each development corporation.

Barbara Follett: The Department's policy for the management of all public records follows the responsibilities set out in the Public Records Act 1958 and subsequent guidance and advice from the National Archives. As non departmental public bodies development corporations have responsibility for their own records management policy.

Central Manchester Development Corporation: Archives

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Vauxhall of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 809W, on the Central Manchester Development Corporation: archives, what arrangements there are for archiving historic records of the  (a) London Thames Gateway,  (b) Thurrock Thames Gateway and  (c) West Northamptonshire Development Corporation; and what disposal authorities are in place for the records of each body.

Barbara Follett: The Development Corporations will have arrangements for the records they hold. All records in the Department, including those relating to the London Thames Gateway, Thurrock Thames Gateway and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporations, are managed in accordance with existing policies and procedures.
	There are appropriate arrangements in place for retention and disposal.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the likely effect of the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy on  (a) the cumulative burden of regulation on developers and  (b) the quantity and quality of new development.

Ian Austin: The Government have made an assessment of the impact of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) upon landowners and developers, in preparing its impact assessments on CIL, which have accompanied the different legislative stages of the passage of the Planning Act 2008 and the ongoing development of CIL regulations.
	The most recent assessment was published on 30 July and can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/infrastructurelevypartial.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the revenue generated by the Community Infrastructure Levy in each of the first three years of its operation; and whether such revenue will be classified as tax revenue for the purposes of the National Accounting rules.

Ian Austin: The Government published their estimates of anticipated revenues from CIL, within the impact assessments that have accompanied the different legislative stages of the Planning Act 2008 and the ongoing development of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations. The latest assessment was published on 30 July to accompany the publication of the draft CIL regulations. The assessment is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/infrastructurelevypartial.
	Once the Government's proposals for CIL have been finalised the Office for National Statistics will classify the levy for National Accounts purposes.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether new  (a) nuclear power stations and  (b) wind turbines are liable for community infrastructure levy.

Ian Austin: The draft community infrastructure levy (CIL) regulations, published on 30 July 2009 and available on the CLG website, propose (at Regulation 5(3)) that CIL should not be levied on buildings into which people do not normally go; or on buildings into which people go only intermittently for the purpose of inspecting or maintaining fixed plant or machinery.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/communitylevyconsultation

Council Housing: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council tenants there were in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the East of England in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 310W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn).

Council Housing: Lone Parents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional funding his Department plans to provide to implement the policy of placing teenage single mothers in supervised residential accommodation; how many places will be provided each year; what role local authorities will play in the scheme; and what the timetable is for its implementation.

Ian Austin: My Department has provided £30 million capital funding over three years (2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12) to provide new places in Foyers and other specialist supported accommodation through the National Affordable Housing Programme. Housing Associations and other affordable housing providers will be invited to bid in a process to be administered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the E-BAR/Valuebill interface for council tax reports established by the Valuation Office Agency includes the transfer of personal data.

Barbara Follett: A Billing Authority (BA) council tax report can contain contact details including name, address (if different from the property address), telephone number and email address. The electronic BA reports data transfer takes place through a secure password restricted website with 128 bit encryption.

Council Tax: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account  (a) the Valuation Office Agency and  (b) the Valuation Tribunal Service takes of increased levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in a specific locality when assessing material changes for the purpose of council tax revaluations.

Barbara Follett: There is no council tax revaluation taking place. However, in the event of any future revaluation, the banding of properties by the Valuation Office Agency would be based on the open market value as it was on the relevant date. The Valuation Tribunal Service would have no direct role in compiling lists in any such future revaluation.

Departmental Billing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 17 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, for what reasons 13 per cent. of invoices submitted to his Department were not paid on time.

Barbara Follett: Until July 2008, the Department operated a decentralised payment processing model, with business areas processing supplier invoices independently of each other and the centre. This arrangement was inherently inefficient, allowing delays and errors in the processing of payments, which in turn contributed to a low performance against Whitehall prompt payment targets.
	In July 2008 the Department introduced centralised processing of invoices, resulting in a more effective and efficient means of handling, authorising and paying supplier accounts rendered. This change in approach had an immediate positive impact on performance, which improved steadily through the reporting year. Clearance of an inherited backlog of unpaid invoices had an impact on payment performance. The introduction across Whitehall of a 10 day prompt payment policy in December 2008 provided a further impetus for improvement, and processes were further automated and streamlined to meet the new challenges.
	In the current financial year these process enhancements have continued and the further exploitation of technology continues to generate improvements against the Whitehall 10 day prompt payment target, raising current performance to above 90 per cent. of valid invoices being paid within 10 days of receipt. The comparable figure for the resource account in the current financial year is above 95 per cent.

Departmental Data Protection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 30 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, for what reason the sensitive documents on housing were carried on a flight from Heathrow to Copenhagen.

Barbara Follett: The documents were carried by an official whilst on an authorised business trip in order to make productive use of the time spent travelling.

Departmental Data Protection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 76 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, whether the stolen unencrypted laptop was stolen from the premises of the Government Office for the North West.

Barbara Follett: There is a reference on page 29 of the Department for Communities and Local Government's Resource Accounts that identifies an unencrypted laptop was stolen from the premises of the Government Office for the North West.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons policy advisers are recruited on terms and conditions different from those of other civil servants.

Barbara Follett: Policy advisers are civil servants and as such are recruited under the same terms and conditions. These can include fixed term appointments where appropriate.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what analysis of his Department's expenditure by local authority area has been undertaken in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: No analysis of the Department's expenditure by local authority area has been undertaken in the last 12 months.

Departmental Responsibilities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to the application of the precautionary principle in relation to the development of public policy.

Barbara Follett: People's perceptions of public risk often differ from actual levels of risk. These distorted public perceptions may encourage poor policy-making and unnecessary laws, leading people to feel that Government is interfering too much in their lives. Strong leadership from the Government is necessary to counter these trends and to help foster a more considered approach to risk and public policy making. In handling public risk, Communities and Local Government follows the guidance of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council by placing emphasis on understanding the risk in context, actively engaging with a broad community, and effective communication.

Departmental Staffing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what expenditure was incurred on recruitment agency fees in respect of staff recruited to work in  (a) his Department's Housing Directorate,  (b) the Tenant Services Authority,  (c) the Homes and Communities Agency,  (d) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit,  (e) Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and  (f) the Homes and Communities Agency Academy in the last five years;
	(2)  how much was paid in external consultancy fees by  (a) his Department's Housing Directorate,  (b) the Tenant Services Authority,  (c) the Homes and Communities Agency,  (d) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit,  (e) the Homes and Communities Agency Academy and  (f) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how much was paid in staff costs by  (a) his Department's Housing Directorate,  (b) the Tenant Services Authority,  (c) the Homes and Communities Agency,  (d) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit and  (e) the Homes and Communities Agency academy in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The following tables provide the financial data requested subject to the following caveat:
	Where a cell is blank, no expenditure in the categories specified was incurred;
	The Housing Directorates lines cover a combination of directorates across the years in question as a result of CLG organisational structure changes.
	
		
			  Table A :  PQ 5490- r ecruitment  a gency  f ees 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Housing Directorates(1) - - - - 63,100 
			 Tenants' Services Authority n/a n/a n/a n/a 30,300 
			 Homes  Community Agency n/a n/a n/a n/a 152,200 
			 Homes  Community Agency Academy n/a n/a n/a n/a 38,000 
			 National Housing and Planning Advice Unit(2) - - 91,300 - - 
			 CABE 62,600 25,300 72,100 85,100 46,900 
			 (1 )Relates to the recruitment of HCA Board members. (2 )Relates to the recruitment of NHPAU Board members. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: PQ 5491-external consultancy 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Housing Directorates(1) 863,800 903,800 462,700 337,700 3,886,300 
			 Tenants' Services Authority n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,486,400 
			 Homes  Community Agency(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a (2)- 
			 National Housing and Planning Advice Unit - - 3,200 6,600 10,600 
			 CABE 536,500 818,800 463,900 619,800 612,600 
			 Homes  Community Agency Academy n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,056,000 
			 (1 )Expenditure inflated by one-off items: HCA set-up and homeowner mortgage support scheme. (2 )The HCA can be answered only at disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: PQ 5493-staff costs 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Housing Directorates 9,837,300 10,330,400 10,842,500 10,649,500 10,644,200 
			 Tenants' Services Authority(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a (1)- 
			 Homes  Community Agency(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a (1)- 
			 Homes  Community Agency Academy(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a (1)- 
			 National Housing and Planning Advice Unit - - 68,500 579,000 606,000 
			 (1 )For HCA and TSA 2008-09, information on expenditure on staff will be included in the annual reports and accounts which will be published shortly. Prior to 2008-09, neither organisation was in existence.

English Partnership Public Relations Panel

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what companies and individuals were on the English Partnership Public Relations Panel in each year since the Panel was set up; and what expenditure has been incurred on each  (a) corporate and  (b) individual member of the Panel to date.

Ian Austin: Since 1 December 2008, English Partnership's (EP) functions have passed to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The following table provides a list of the organisations that have formed the membership of the EP/HCA Public Relations Panel since it was established in 2006, and also the net and gross breakdown of expenditure, by panel member.
	Public relations spend across the HCA incorporates a wide and varied range of activities, with a particular focus on disseminating news and information on HCA's work to business and local stakeholders, the media and to the general public.
	For 2008-09, such costs represented 0.02 per cent. of the HCA's total annual expenditure of £3.9 billion.
	
		
			  Summary of net and gross spend by former EP and now HCA against each supplier on the PR Panel by financial year (2009 split into EP and HCA spend) 
			EP  HCA  
			  Supplier name   Jan 2006 -  M ar  2006  Apr 2006- Mar  2007  Apr  2007 - Mar  2008  Apr 2008-  Nov 2008  Dec 2008 - Mar  2009  Apr 2009 to d ate  Grand total 
			 Brahm Limited Net - - 14,755 31,230 9,325 68,306 123,616 
			  Gross - - 17,337 36,695 10,724 71,241 135,998 
			  
			 Camargue Net 18,001 61,095 35,867 6,781 2,255 3,000 126,999 
			  Gross 21,151 71,787 42,144 7,968 2,613 3,450 149,112 
			  
			 Communications Management Net - 124,883 85,628 3,135 - - 213,646 
			  Gross - 146,737 100,613 3,684 - - 251,034 
			  
			  
			 Communique Net - 52,893 123,348 28,334 5,702 5,808 216,083 
			  Gross - 62,149 144,933 32,774 6,587 6,679 253,122 
			  
			 Creative Concern Ltd Net - 2,487 - - 17,170 33,284 52,941 
			  Gross - 2,922 - - 17,170 33,284 53,376 
			  
			 Destination Marketing UK Ltd Net - 73,102 109,300 34,313 14,892 469 232,076 
			  Gross - 85,864 128,427 40,318 17,298 539 272,446 
			  
			 Fleishman-H1llard Group Ltd Net - - - 3,500 - - 3,500 
			  Gross - - - 4,113 - - 4,113 
			  
			 ING Media Net - 33,000 150,131 133,508 59,796 23,716 400,151 
			  Gross - 38,775 176,404 156,872 68,771 27,273 468,095 
			  
			 Phoenix Net - 29,668 61,240 53,068 24,447 22,146 190,568 
			  Gross - 34,860 71,957 62,354 28,320 25,468 222,959 
			  
			 Staniforth Communications Net 3,369 92,454 93,695 26,287 13,443 16,981 246,229 
			  Gross 3,959 108,633 110,092 30,887 15,497 19,528 288,596 
			  
			 Staniforth Public Relations Net 16,178 - 926 2,256 - - 19,361 
			  Gross 19,010 - 1,088 2,651 - - 22,749 
			  
			 The Communication Group plc Net - 3,266 152,894 - - - 156,160 
			  Gross - 3,838 179,650 - - - 183,488 
			  
			 Willoughby PR Net 10,469 34,399 49,518 33,942 34,752 77,996 241,077 
			  Gross 12,301 40,418 58,184 39,882 40,003 89,696 280,484

Environmental Health: Manpower

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many environmental health officers have been recruited to work in Leeds in each year since 2001.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held by my Department.

Home Information Packs

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 201-202W, on home information packs, what the evidential basis was of the value for money assessment undertaken in respect of the contracting out of public relations work in relation to home information packs.

Barbara Follett: Agencies on the Central Office of Information public relations framework participate in an open tender process conducted by COI officials to select those agencies best able to provide value for money to the public purse. More information about COI procurement policy is available here:
	http://www.coi.gov.uk/suppliers.php?page=63
	In relation to Home Information Packs, the Department ensured value for money by using an agency from this framework.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on  (a) consultancy fees,  (b) recruitment agencies and  (c) staff costs by each of the regional offices of the (i) Homes and Communities Agency and (ii) Tenant Services Authority since December 2008.

John Healey: The amount spent since December 2008:
	 (a) on consultancy fees
	(i) by the Homes and Communities Agency would be available only at disproportionate cost;
	(ii) by the Tenant Services Authority was £1,486,400. It is not possible to disaggregate these costs by region.
	 (b) on recruitment agencies
	(i) by the Homes and Communities Agency's regions (not including corporate staff) was as follows:
	
		
			   Spend (£) 
			 London 4,400 
			 South East (inc. Milton Keynes Partnership) 12,900 
			 North West 7,000 
			 West Midlands 2,900 
			 Other regions' spend 0 
		
	
	(ii) by the Tenant Services Authority was £30,300. It is not possible to disaggregate these costs by region.
	 (c) Information on expenditure on staff will be included in the annual reports and accounts of both the Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenant Services Authority 2008-09, which will be published shortly. Both agencies will publish further detail on staff costs in due course.

Homes and Communities Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on corporate branding by the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) the Tenant Services Authority since its establishment.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1501-2W. There has been no further spend on branding.

Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 814W, on housing, for what reasons the letter for local newspapers was distributed via the Central Office of Information; what the cost to the public purse was of its distribution; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has a retainer contract with the Central Office of Information to support the work of CLG press office in communicating and explaining the Department's policies through local and regional media channels. One way in which COI's network of regional News and PR teams supports this objective, under the terms of the contract, is to use its knowledge of and contacts with local newspapers to help place and tailor ministerial articles on issues relevant to their readerships.
	The distribution of the article that is the subject of this and previous related questions tabled by the hon. Member was undertaken as part of this retainer arrangement.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such properties have been classified as affordable housing.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 969W for figures showing new affordable homes built as a proportion of all homes built, by county.

Housing: Construction

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the East of England since 1997.

Ian Austin: Information on new affordable homes built is not available by constituency.
	The following table shows the number of new affordable homes (social rent, intermediate rent and low cost home ownership) built in mid Bedfordshire local authority, Bedfordshire, the East of England Region, and England in each year since 1997-98.
	
		
			   Mid Bedfordshire  Bedfordshire  East of England GOR  England 
			 1997-98 210 410 2,840 28,210 
			 1998-99 150 480 2,990 26,550 
			 1999-2000 40 330 2,020 22,360 
			 2000-01 60 190 2,250 20,940 
			 2001-02 50 220 2,360 21,740 
			 2002-03 70 230 2,460 21,100 
			 2003-04 110 250 2,760 23,890 
			 2004-05 80 430 3,140 26,930 
			 2005-06 60 300 4,160 33,260 
			 2006-07 70 220 5,020 36,260 
			 2007-08 80 440 6,260 43,560 
			  Note: Figures are estimates, and have been rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. For example, in 2007-08, a total of 90 additional affordable homes were provided in mid Bedfordshire local authority (new build and acquisitions), 530 in Bedfordshire, 7,200 in the East of England Region, and 53,730 additional affordable homes were provided in England (new build and acquisitions).

Housing: Construction

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reasons the Homes and Communities Agency has revised downwards its targets for rural affordable house building;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Commission for Rural Communities on the decision by the Homes and Communities Agency to reduce its target for rural affordable housing.

John Healey: Market conditions have made delivery of affordable housing much more challenging. The HCA's Corporate Plan (published at the end of September) announced their rural target is 8,500, in line with the reduction in their overall affordable housing targets in response to current market conditions. My officials have met with the Commission for Rural Communities to discuss these and other matters.

Housing: Energy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many accredited energy assessors there are in each region.

John Healey: The total number of accredited energy assessors recorded, in the National Energy Performance Certificate Register, for each region up to and including 10 October 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Registered non-domestic assessors by G OR  9 October 2009  
			 Unmatched 176 
			 North West euro region (all areas) 474 
			 Scotland euro region (all areas) 52 
			 South West euro region (all areas) 304 
			 Eastern euro region (all areas) 222 
			 London euro region (all areas) 373 
			 East Midlands euro region (all areas) 216 
			 West Midlands euro region (all areas) 546 
			 North East euro region (all areas) 112 
			 Wales euro region (all areas) 152 
			 South East euro region (all areas) 608 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber euro region (all areas) 381 
			 Total 3,616 
			   
			  Registered domestic assessors by GOR 9 October 2009  
			 Unmatched 421 
			 North West euro region (all areas) 1456 
			 Scotland euro region (all areas) 238 
			 South West euro region (all areas) 1098 
			 Eastern euro region (all areas) 979 
			 London euro region (all areas) 1,118 
			 East Midlands euro region (all areas) 733 
			 West Midlands euro region (all areas) 2,380 
			 North East euro region (all areas) 407 
			 Wales euro region (all areas) 663 
			 South East euro region (all areas) 1648 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber euro region (all areas) 867 
			 Total 12,008 
			 Grand total 15,624 
			  Note: Unmatched totals are where the assessor postcode could not be matched to a Government Office Region (GOR) using data mapping

Housing: Floods

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has evaluated on the effect of the height of electricity sockets in walls on the length of time it takes householders to return to their repaired homes following evacuation after flooding; and what guidelines are provided to builders of new homes in flood-risk areas on the matter.

Ian Austin: We are not aware of research that looks at how the height of electricity sockets specifically impacts on the time it has taken to repair flooded homes. However, Communities and Local Government published joint guidance with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency entitled Improving the flood performance of new buildings-Flood resilient construction in May 2007. The document provides guidance to developers and designers on how to improve the flood resilience of new properties in low or residual flood risk areas by the use of suitable materials and construction details. To help achieve resilient design it suggests that, for ground floors, electrical sockets should be installed above flood level to minimise damage to electrical services.

Housing: Lighting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has issued recent guidance to local trading standards authorities on prosecutions for the sale of imported incandescent light bulbs.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	Following a public consultation which closed on 4 September 2009, the National Measurement Office has taken on the role of enforcing the requirements on products, including lamps, set out in EU Regulations under the Eco-design of Energy-using Products Directive. It will also ensure labels on products required by the Energy Labelling Directive are accurate.

Housing: Low Incomes

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the average cost of building a new unit of  (a) social housing and  (b) affordable housing.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 817-818W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central Government expenditure there has been on the Social Homebuy scheme.

John Healey: Social HomeBuy is a voluntary demand-led shared ownership scheme for social tenants. Registered social landlords who choose to offer the scheme to their tenants bid to the Homes and Communities Agency for grant to cover the discount offered to the tenant under the scheme. From April 2006 to end of September 2009, spend for this purpose through the National Affordable Housing programme totalled £3.6 million.
	No funding has been provided to local authorities offering the scheme other than £132,770 given to help early pilots with development and set up costs in 2006-07.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes in each region met the Decent Homes standard in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: The English House Condition Survey reports nationally on the percentage of decent homes. However the size of the sample size limits the extent to which it can provide robust results for each year at lower levels of geography.
	The survey can provide estimates at broad regional groupings (Northern includes North West, North East and Yorkshire; South East includes South East and London and the rest of country includes Eastern, East Midlands, West Midlands and South West) which are provide in table, but not for each region in England due to sample size.
	
		
			  Percentage of homes meeting the decent homes standard in the last five years (2003-07) 
			   Original definition  Updated definition 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2006  2007 
			 Northern regions 68.7 70.2 72.7 73.9 64.3 64.3 
			 South East regions 68.0 69.3 70.7 71.9 66.2 66.1 
			 Rest of England 69.3 72.4 73.7 73.7 64.5 65.5 
			 All dwellings 68.7 70.8 72.5 73.2 65.0 65.4 
			  Note: Base: all tenures The Decent Homes standard was updated in 2006 when the introduction of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System replaced the Fitness Standard (original definition) as the statutory tool for assessing housing conditions. Figures based on the updated definition from 2006 are not comparable with those based on the original definition.

Institute for Public Policy Research and New Local Government Network

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments his Department made to the  (a) Institute for Public Policy Research and  (b) New Local Government Network in the last three years; what the purpose of such payment was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: No payments have been made to the  (a) Institute for Public Policy Research. Payments have been made to the  (b) New Local Government Network in connection with a secondment to the Department in the annual pay range of £43,836 to £57,110.

INTERREG Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects in the UK have received funding under the Interreg  (a) IVA and  (b) IVB programme.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally by the Department and it could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

Land: Databases

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provisions regulate the sharing of data in the joint Ordnance Survey-Land Registry data centre; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the shared service agreement.

Ian Austin: The Data Centre Shared Service agreement which Ordnance Survey and Land Registry have recently concluded is concerned only with buildings, information technology infrastructure and with associated security and business continuity provisions. It is not concerned with data or the sharing of data.
	Under the agreement Ordnance Survey has signed a five-year lease for 219 square metres of serviced and managed space from Land Registry, within its secure data centre in Gloucester. This dedicated and discrete accommodation will house a proportion of Ordnance Survey's IT infrastructure, as well as supporting the launch of a new database management system. It will enable essential IT Business continuity services, in conjunction with facilities at Ordnance Survey's new head office, which is currently being built in Southampton.
	A copy of the Shared Service Agreement has today been placed in the Library.

Local Government Information Unit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 247W, on the Local Government Information Unit, 
	(1)  which official was seconded by the Local Government Information Unit to the office of the then Secretary of State; for what reason that secondment was terminated; and when that secondment  (a) began and  (b) ended;
	(2)  for what reasons the Local Government Information Unit incurred legal costs in relation to the termination of a secondment to the office of the then Secretary of State; for what reasons his Department paid those costs; and whether compensation payments were made to any individual in relation to the termination of the secondment.

Barbara Follett: Edward Cox from the Local Government Information Unit was seconded to the Strategy and Performance Directorate within Communities and Local Government (and not to the office of the then Secretary of State) for one year, from 7 January 2008 to 6 January 2009. The secondment ended early as, following discussions with the Department and the LGiU about the possibility of extending the secondment, Mr. Cox opted to leave the LGiU and to join the Department on a fixed-term contract, which began on 1 January 2009.
	The legal costs incurred by the LGiU relate to legal advice they obtained in the course of the discussions about the possibility of extending the secondment about the different options which might be pursued. The Department had previously agreed to reimburse all reasonable costs incurred by the LGiU in connection with administration of the secondment, and in line with that agreed to reimburse these specific costs. No compensation payments were made to any individual in relation to the termination of the secondment.

Local Government: Bank Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the amount of money deposited with Icelandic banks by local authorities which has not yet been recovered.

Barbara Follett: CLG has not made any such estimates. The Resolution Committee for Landsbanki and Glitnir and the UK administrators of Heritable and Kaupthing, Singer and Friedland Ltd., have published information on likely rates of return.

Local Government: Equality

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 659W, on equality: regulation, what additional funding has been given to local authorities under the new burdens doctrine in relation to equality and diversity.

Barbara Follett: The Government are committed to ensuring that all new burdens falling on local authorities, whether from equality and diversity policies or any other, are fully and properly funded so that there is no upward pressure on council tax bills. Where appropriate, funding is provided through the formula grant system or through specific grants.

Local Government: Pay

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average salary of the highest earning 10 per cent. of local government employees is; and how many employees he estimates have received salaries in this category in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Government: Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) mean,  (b) median and  (c) mean per decile annual pension was of local government pension scheme members claiming a pension for the first time in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: This information is not collected centrally.

Maps: EU Law

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the conclusions of his Department's consultation on the transposition of the EU INSPIRE directive.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	The report on consultation was published on the Department's website in July:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/inspire/summary-responses.pdf
	in line with my Department's normal practice. I am arranging for copies of it to be placed also in the Library.

Maps: EU Law

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his decision on whether to build a national geo-portal as part of the implementation of the INSPIRE directive.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) replied to the hon. Member on 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1281W explaining that decisions on the implementation of INSPIRE will be taken by the location council. At its meeting on 18 September the location council endorsed the Conceptual Design for the Location Programme, including the development of a UK Geo-Portal. The decision will be communicated on the programme website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/location

Mortgages: Government Assistance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to provide mortgage help to those who are eligible for shared ownership housing but who cannot find appropriate funding.

John Healey: There are 18 lenders who currently offer mortgages to shared ownership purchasers. The Government have provided help to potential shared ownership purchasers by introducing Rent to HomeBuy. This enables potential purchasers to benefit from an affordable rent for up to five years, enabling them to save for a deposit to purchase a share during or at the end of that period.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, 
	(1)  on what date the Building Research Establishment submitted to his Department the second stage of its review of the licensing regime for houses in multiple occupation;
	(2)  on what date the Building Research Establishment was commissioned to conduct the review of the effectiveness of the new licensing regime for houses in multiple occupation;
	(3)  when he expects to publish the review commissioned by his Department from the Building Research Establishment on the new licensing regime for houses in multiple occupation;
	(4)  how much his Department has paid to the Building Research Establishment for the research commissioned on the effects of the new licensing regime for houses in multiple occupation.

Ian Austin: The Building Research Establishment (BRE) was commissioned to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the new licensing regime for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in March 2008 and the final Report was received in April 2009. We propose to publish the Report shortly. The BRE were paid £89,591.59.

National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills: Thurrock

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills during the summer adjournment on funding provision for the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills in Thurrock; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: I have raised this issue with the further education Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, West (Kevin Brennan), over the recess and we are hopeful that following approval by the LSC Regional Committee on 14 October and due assessment by the LSC's national Capital Committee on 2 November, if successful, the National Skills Academy will proceed to implementation.
	Furthermore, CLG officials have been in discussion with BIS and LSC throughout the recess to progress the National Skills Academy in Thurrock which will be a key strand of the Government's wider investment in the £60 million Royal Opera House Production Park, developing technical skills in the performing arts in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

Non-Domestic Rates: Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether hereditaments which are levied on a workplace parking levy will receive any reduction in the rateable value calculated for their business parking spaces for business rates purposes.

Barbara Follett: Rating is a tax on the rental value of non-domestic properties. If the imposition of a workplace parking levy in a town causes the rental values of affected hereditaments to fall then it is likely rateable values will be reduced by a similar amount.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2219W, on non-domestic rates: ports, how many of the 154 settled appeals resulted in a lower rateable value; and how many and what proportion of the other outstanding appeals have been settled.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Of the 154 appeals settled at 9 September 2009, 48 were settled by agreement resulting in a lower rateable value.
	As at 21 October 2009; the Valuation Office Agency has settled 417, or 56 per cent. of appeals against rating assessments subject to the fast track arrangements.

Non-Domestic Rates: Religious Buildings

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on non-domestic rates: religious buildings, for which faith communities and religions the Valuation Office Agency has determined that their premises, where used for public religious worship, may be eligible for exemption from non-domestic rating.

Barbara Follett: Places of Public Religious Worship which belong to the Church of England and Church in Wales and all other religions certified under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 where there is an open invitation to the public to attend services are exempt from NNDR under the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The exemption does not extend to organisations which practice a philosophy or where the invitation and access is restricted to certain members of the congregation.

Parking: Planning Permission

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on influencing levels of  (a) car ownership and  (b) car use through the planning system.

Ian Austin: Planning policy influences car ownership by requiring maximum car parking standards to be applied to both residential and commercial developments, as described in Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG 13).

Parking: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2070W, on planning permission: parking, whether following the revision of Planning Policy Statement 3 the maximum parking standards for residential parking introduced in Planning Policy Guidance 13 are  (a) guidelines for or  (b) binding on local authorities.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1136-37W.

Parking: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2070W, on planning permission: parking, what maximum parking standards for residential parking are in place in each of the regional spatial strategies.

Ian Austin: Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) asks Local planning authorities to develop residential parking policies for their area. pps3 does not require regional spatial strategies to set residential parking policies for their area and there are no maximum standards in place in regional spatial strategies other then in London. In London, maximum parking standards for residential parking are in place as follows:
	
		
			  Predominant housing type bed units  Car parking provision 
			 4+1 bed units 2-1.5 spaces per unit 
			 3 bed units 1.5-1 space per unit space 
			 1-2 bed units 1 to less than 1 per unit per unit space per unit

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Barbara Follett: Representatives from the Community Development Foundation and the Standards Board for England sought, and were granted, permission to attend the main political party conferences. Given its particular status and remit, representatives from the Audit Commission attended all three main political party conferences with the permission from my Department. A representative from the Tenant Services Authority attended all three major political party conferences. The Homes and Communities Agency sent no staff representatives to any political party conferences but a member of its Board attended two party conferences in her capacity as Rural Housing Advisory Group chair.

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  in respect of which local plans in which Government Office regions he and his predecessors have made a direction under paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 not to retain a local plan policy to protect agricultural land;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 17 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1338W, on planning: agriculture, in respect of which local plans, broken down by Government Office region, the Secretary of State has made a direction under paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 to not save a local plan policy of protecting the best and most versatile agricultural land since October 2007.

Ian Austin: Local planning authorities apply to the Secretary of State where they consider it necessary for the Secretary of State to save policies under paragraph 1(3) of schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. In the following cases the Secretary of State declined to save a policy relating to agricultural land:
	 East Midlands
	Northamptonshire County Council Waste Local Plan
	 South East
	Bracknell Forest
	Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan
	Chiltern
	Crawley
	East Hampshire
	Eastleigh
	Elmbridge
	Guildford
	Hart
	Medway
	Mid Sussex
	Milton Keynes Minerals Local Plan
	Runnymede
	Tandridge
	Wycombe
	 South West
	North Dorset
	Torbay

Planning Permission: Advertising

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the procedure by which appeals against a decision by a local authority to refuse an advertisement application are considered by the Planning Inspectorate in accordance with the advertisement regulations and without taking into account the planning policies of the relevant local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The Secretary of State has received representations from the Chair of Birmingham City Council's Planning Committee through correspondence from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short) and the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Simon). In considering an advertisement appeal an Inspector from the Planning Inspectorate would have regard to all the evidence presented, including any relevant policies in the development plan of a local authority.

Planning Permission: Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1437W, on planning permission: parking, 
	(1)  what planning guidance on car park charges was in force prior to 2001; and when such guidance was issued;
	(2)  what guidance has been issued to regional planning bodies on policies on car parking charges in regional transport strategies.

Ian Austin: Prior to 2001 paragraph 4.7 and 4.8 of the 1994 version of Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG 13) provided planning advice on car parking charges. Paragraph 4.7 advised that:
	The level of car parking charges may also be used as an instrument to encourage the use of alternative modes.... Authorities should seek to agree appropriate levels and charges for parking broadly to maintain existing competitive positions between competing local centres... Income from parking charges can be used not only for providing off-street parking facilities, but also to support public transport and highway improvements....
	Paragraph 4.8 stated
	Parking charges.... Should not appear in development plans as policies (except in so far as the authority proposes to secure levels of charges.... through agreements) but they should be mentioned in the reasoned justification in support of the relevant land-use policies and proposals for the management of traffic.
	Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) and Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs), which apply at the regional and local level, should be read as a suite of documents. Planning Policy Statement 11: Regional Spatial Strategies (PPS 11) contains advice on Regional Transport Strategies, which set the context for car parking standards and charges. Paragraph 35 of PPS 11 states,
	RPBs should have regard to the guidance in PPG13 in setting parking standards appropriate to their region or parts of the region.

Planning: Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether additional funding is being provided to local authorities in relation to additional functions and roles resulting from the establishment of the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

John Healey: The provisions of the Planning Act 2008 do not place any additional requirements on local government, but instead give councils a much clearer statutory role in the process to ensure that proper regard is given to their views.
	The Government do not intend to provide additional funding to local government, who already:
	look closely at any major infrastructure projects proposed in their area;
	engage with developers on potential applications and enforce subsequent consents; and
	bear their own costs for their involvement in any inquiry held by the Planning Inspectorate.

Property Development

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of approved planning developments which have not proceeded pending resolution of applications to register land as a town or village green in the last five years.

Ian Austin: This information is not collected centrally. While we do not have evidence that this is a widespread problem, we are aware of specific cases where this has occurred and the impact it can have on development. My officials are currently working with those in DEFRA to consider what changes to the current system may be required

Property Development: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on Planning Policy Guidance 25.

Ian Austin: No recent representations have been received about planning policy guidance note 25.

Regeneration: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on regeneration: finance, which independent audit authority will carry out the programme of audits of expenditure through the lifetime of the European Regional Development Fund programmes.

Barbara Follett: The independent Audit Authority for the ERDF programme is the Internal Audit Service of Communities and Local Government. CLG Internal Audit is functionally independent of the European Policy Division in CLG that is responsible for the overall management of the programme.

Regeneration: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on regeneration: finance, if he will place in the Library a copy of the independent scrutiny report commissioned into explaining the management and financial control systems used by the regional development agencies and by his Department.

Barbara Follett: The independent, final opinion by the Audit Authority of the management and control systems used by the Regional Development Agencies and by the Department for Communities and Local Government which endorses each RDA and my Department has been placed in the Library of the House.

Repossession Orders

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been repossessed in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) the East of England and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 351W.

Shops: Planning Permission

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support small shops through the operation of the planning system.

Ian Austin: Policy EC6 of Draft PPS4 supports small shops proposing that local planning authorities should recognise that such shops can significantly enhance the character and vibrancy of centres and make a valuable contribution to consumer choice.
	Draft policy EC13 also requires local planning authorities to protect and strengthen local and village shops ensuring that their importance to the local community is taken into account when assessing proposals that would result in their loss.
	We will publish the final PPS4 by the end of the year.

Shops: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Valuation Office Agency's Zone of Shops Valuation Handbook was last updated.

Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency's zoning of shops handbook guidance, It's All a Question of Zoning has not been updated since 2000.

Social Rented Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects in allocation of social housing on  (a) A8 nationals on the Worker Registration Scheme and  (b) A2 nationals on the Worker Authorisation Scheme of giving greater priority to local people;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving greater priority to local people in allocation of social housing on  (a) new age Travellers,  (b) Irish Travellers and  (c) Gypsies with no local connection to the area in which they are applying for accommodation;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving greater priority to local people in allocation of social housing on  (a) migrant workers from member states of the EU prior to 2004 and  (b) refugees;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of giving greater priority to local people on allocation of social housing on non-EEA nationals with  (a) indefinite leave to remain and  (b) limited leave to remain.

Ian Austin: The draft new guidance on the allocation of social housing published for consultation on 31 July was accompanied by a draft impact assessment
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/allocationimpactassessment

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on new social housing for rent in  (a) England and  (b) the City of York in each year since 1997-98.

Barbara Follett: The table shows the grant funding through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme for social rent in each financial year in the City of York local authority area. This includes both new build and acquisition and refurbishment. This does not include expenditure through the Affordable Housing Programme for Low Cost Home Ownership (LCHO) homes.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Period  City of York  England 
			 1997-98 1.00 456.47 
			 1998-99 1.42 446.51 
			 1999-2000 1.06 522.79 
			 2000-01 2.25 575.66 
			 2001-02 1.91 646.53 
			 2002-03 1.46 760.23 
			 2003-04 2.43 1,171.00 
			 2004-05 3.13 1,050.04 
			 2005-06 0.87 933.19 
			 2006-07 0.83 1,432.55 
			 2007-08 2.44 1,552.32 
			 2008-09 6.36 2,038.13 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency

Social Rented Housing: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties were added to the stock of social rented housing in Suffolk through  (a) construction and  (b) purchase in each of the last five years; and how many he expects to be added in each of the next five years.

Ian Austin: The table shows the number of new social rented homes built and acquired in Suffolk in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   New build  Acquisitions  Total social rent 
			 2003-04 380 60 440 
			 2004-05 230 30 260 
			 2005-06 430 20 440 
			 2006-07 540 10 540 
			 2007-08 670 40 710 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and local authority returns to CLG. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10 units. 
		
	
	Total affordable housing supply includes intermediate rent and Low Cost Home Ownership, as well as homes for Social Rent. In 2007-08, a total of 1,160 affordable homes were completed in Suffolk through new build and acquisitions.
	Total affordable housing supply statistics for 2008-09 will be released by CLG in December 2009.
	Information on the number of homes completed for social rent under the NAHP for April to September 2009 will be released by the HCA later this year.
	As set out in the Homes and Communities Corporate Plan for 2009-10 we are aiming to deliver in England 55,000 affordable homes in 2009-10 and 56,000 in 2010-11. Future estimates levels of expenditure and outputs beyond 2010-11 will be dependent upon the next spending review.

Sustainable Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for  (a) the revised edition of Planning Policy Statement 4 and  (b) the introduction of a competition test in retail planning.

Ian Austin: The final version of Planning Policy Statement 4 will be published by the end of the year.
	On 2 October 2009, the Competition Commission recommended the introduction of a competition test into the planning system for planning applications by grocery retailers as a remedy to the adverse effect on competition it had identified. If adopted this would apply not only to England but to the devolved administrations. The Government has 90 days to respond to the Commission's report from the date of its publication.

Sustainable Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of consumer choice his Department plans to use in its revision of Planning Policy Statement 4.

Ian Austin: Policy EC6 of Draft PPS4 requires Local Planning Authorities to support the diversification of uses in town centres and plan for a strong mix of retail uses, recognising that smaller shops can significantly enhance the character and vibrancy of a centre.
	We will publish final PPS4 by the end of the year.

Tenant Services Authority: Marketing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Tenant Services Authority has spent on branded bags since its establishment; and how many such bags have been produced.

John Healey: Since its establishment, the TSA has bought 3,000 branded bags which it has used at conferences and exhibitions. The bags formed part of the promotional materials purchased to help increase the profile of the TSA as the new independent regulator for social housing. The cost of these was £3,541 which equates to £1.18 per bag.

Tenants Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of National Tenant Voice; and whether it will be located apart from the Tenant Services Authority.

John Healey: The National Tenants Voice has been allocated a budget of £ 1.5 million per annum under current comprehensive spending review plans.
	A Project Group is leading development of the National Tenant Voice, and no decision has yet been reached on location.

Valuation Office: Data Protection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency will have access to records held on the national register of private landlords.

Ian Austin: Proposals to create a national register of private landlords include that it would be available to other Government organisations, including those with an enforcement role within the private rented sector. These proposals have been to public consultation and responses are being considered.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 593W, on the Valuation Office: local government, which local authorities have sent data from building control departments to the Valuation Office Agency via the e-BAR/Valuebill facility in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The sources of information vary from billing authority to billing authority. The Building Control Department will be a source for some billing authorities. The data that some billing authorities gather from their building control departments are not sent via the e-BAR/Valuebill facility although information derived from it may inform the billing authority and may result in an electronic billing authority report.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 593W, on the Valuation Office: local government, which version of the Valuebill Scheme the Valuation Office Agency's e-BAR facility uses.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Valuation Office Agency's e-BAR facility uses  (b) the current version 4.1 of the scheme, as shown on
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/govtalk/schemasstandards/xmlschemas/schemalibrary/local_government_services/valuebill_schema_v41.aspx